Vada
Vada is a Portuguese upcycling brand that transforms discarded automotive and bicycle tires and inner tubes into handmade, eco-friendly bags…
Upcycling & Repurposing
One thing's end is another's beginning: furniture reborn at Atelier Janela Velha, coffee grounds grown into food at NÃM Mushroom Farm, and material reuse from United to Remake. Waste as raw material.
Projects in this focus
Upcycling and repurposing in Portugal
Recycling breaks a material down; upcycling keeps its shape and gives it another job. That distinction matters most in textiles and packaging, where breaking down costs more energy than the material is worth.
United to Remake turns discarded neoprene and similar materials into new products near Lisbon. Vintage for a Cause makes clothing from textile waste in Porto. Hoooked spins recycled yarn near Torres Novas, NÃM grows mushrooms on Lisbon coffee grounds, and Olivedogma works with olive prunings in Ourém.
Portugal has the textile industry to make this scale, which is why so much of the work sits in the north. Related focuses: recycling systems, sustainable fashion and handmade and local crafts. Dated activities from these projects are listed in our events calendar.