Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV)

Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV) is Portugal's primary packaging recovery and recycling organisation, established in 1996 and headquartered in Cruz Quebrada, Lisbon. Over nearly three decades of operation, SPV has successfully diverted more than 11 million tonnes of packaging materials from landfills, positioning itself as the backbone of Portugal's Integrated System for Packaging Waste Management. SPV operates through several specialised divisions designed to drive systemic change. Ponto Verde Lab focuses on recycling innovation, collaborating with universities and research institutions — including a formal Cooperation Protocol with Universidade NOVA de Lisboa — to develop better recycling practices. The Academia division promotes education and behavioural transformation, while the Resource branch fosters collaborative innovation across sectors, having brought together 148 national and international startups in its fourth edition alongside collaborative innovation consultancy Beta-i. A flagship programme, Rede Recicla+, provides targeted financing to accelerate glass packaging recycling. The organisation has committed significant financial resources to the sector, with investment projected to reach €237 million by 2026. Despite this, SPV openly acknowledges that first-quarter performance data shows results still falling short of necessary benchmarks, underscoring the urgency for accelerated collective action. SPV actively engages citizens through public outreach initiatives, such as annual participation in the Lisbon Book Fair and the Junta-te ao Gervásio prize, which recognises exemplary recycling behaviour. Their messaging — 'Separamos juntos' (We separate together) — reflects a core belief that packaging recycling is a shared civic responsibility. With ambitious targets of reaching 65% packaging recycling, SPV continues to call on all stakeholders — municipalities, businesses, educational institutions, and individual citizens — to strengthen their commitment to source separation and circular economy principles.