Sustainable Living

Handmade & Local Crafts

Skill passed down and kept alive: the burel wool of Burel Factory in the Serra da Estrela, cork rugs from Sugo, and the creative village of Cerdeira in the Serra da Lousã. Made by hand, made to matter.

2 Projects

Projects in this focus

Handmade and local crafts in Portugal

Portuguese craft survived because the industry that would have replaced it never fully arrived in the interior. Burel wool, cork, cane, linen and tile all kept a working tradition, and in several cases the same building is still doing it.

Burel Factory reopened a wool mill in Manteigas and put the Serra da Estrela cloth back into production. Corkor handcrafts cork accessories in Barreiro, Sugo weaves cork rugs near Feira, Atelier Janela Velha works from discarded materials, and Cerdeira runs a whole schist village in the Serra da Lousã as a place for makers.

Buying directly is usually cheaper than the shop and always more informative. Related focuses: sustainable fashion, upcycling and repurposing and eco-friendly products. Dated activities from these projects are listed in our events calendar.

Where these projects are