Valorlis rolls out 100 new glass bins for local businesses
Valorlis has launched "Vidro a vidro fazemos o impossível", a project targeting hotels, restaurants and cafés in Batalha, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Ourém, Pombal and Porto de Mós to boost glass packaging recycling. It will install 100 glass bins with an assisted tipping system, while each participating business receives a free 120 or 360-litre container to sort glass on site. The initiative also has a social dimension: increased recycling will generate contributions supporting the Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro's central delegation. Sociedade Ponto Verde is co-financing awareness campaigns to accompany the rollout.
Continente collects used notebooks to fund tree planting
Continente has launched the "Cadernão" initiative with Oxford, collecting used notebooks and paper at Ecospots in selected stores until 20 September. For every tonne collected, 20 trees will be planted, with a target of 100 tonnes this year, equivalent to 2,000 trees. Any brand of notebook or paper is accepted, including plastic or paper covers, metal rings, staples and loose sheets. Since the initiative began, Continente has collected 337 tonnes of paper and committed to planting 6,740 trees, of which 5,120 have already been planted.
Bandora sets out five tips to cut summer energy use
Portuguese company Bandora, which specialises in AI-driven building energy efficiency, has published five recommendations to help reduce electricity consumption during heatwaves. The advice follows record summer electricity demand in Portugal, with grid operator REN registering consecutive peaks reaching 171.1 GWh, surpassing the previous 2022 high. Bandora's suggestions include smarter climate control based on occupancy and weather, regular equipment maintenance, using a building's natural features like blinds and ventilation, switching to LED lighting, and cutting standby power waste from devices. The company argues efficiency, not higher consumption, is the answer to rising cooling demand.
Portuguese ride-hailing app VLOZ launches letting riders pick drivers
VLOZ, a new Portuguese TVDE platform, has been operating since June in Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal, licensed by the IMT. Unlike Uber or Bolt, it lets passengers choose their driver, save favourites and filter by language. Co-founder Luís Pinto says the app has attracted close to 2,000 users in about two months. VLOZ charges drivers a 20% commission but also pays for the distance travelled to reach the passenger, a cost it says other platforms often leave unpaid. The passenger app works on Android and iPhone; the driver app is Android-only for now, with iOS in development.
Portuguese funeral firm plants over 38,000 trees since 2021
Servilusa, a Portuguese funeral services company, has planted more than 38,000 trees since 2021 through its In Arboriam project, developed with international reforestation organisation Tree-Nation. Each funeral now results in at least one tree being planted, offsetting over 11,200 tonnes of CO2, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 5,000 cars, across nearly 40 hectares of reforested land. Each tree is linked to a digital memorial space, or "udiana", that families can visit and update. The company has also adopted certified wood, water-based varnishes, biodegradable materials and an increasingly electric and hybrid vehicle fleet.
