Latest news and stories about sustainability in Porto, Portugal for expats and residents.
The inaugural day of hydrogen bus operations in Porto saw a significant turnout of curious spectators, highlighting public interest in sustainable transport solutions. Despite the official launch, the transport channel remains utilized for various other purposes, raising questions about compliance with regulations.
Matosinhos Beach faces possible removal from the official list of bathing waters after persistent water pollution and associated public‑health risks. The beach was closed 18 times during the last bathing season; the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is awaiting the adoption of remedial measures and a final decision is expected in April. Local authorities warn that failure to address contamination could cost Matosinhos its bathing‑area designation and further restrict public access.
Ecological restoration is combined with the reduction of pollutant discharges, climate adaptation, and remediation of contaminated areas, in addition to real-time monitoring of the river's status.
On World Earth Day, the Casa da Música in Porto hosted the TransformEC project conference, which promoted the circular economy among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Among the general outlines of the “mobilising” plan, according to the documents available for public consultation from this Wednesday until June 12, is the renaturalisation of 19.2 kilometres of river sections.
In an investment of around 2.3 million euros, the municipal company Porto Ambiente has just strengthened its operations in the city with two new natural gas selective waste collection trucks, as well as four new 100% electric sweepers and one washer. This investment is aligned with the municipality's decarbonisation strategy.
The sneakers produced by the brand Veja for the European market are manufactured in Portugal.
The Government wants the Tapada do Outeiro natural gas power plant to be operational by 2030, but the public tender has been postponed until 2027.
The event organised by the Serralves Foundation in Porto runs until 26 April, with an unprecedented focus on soil ecosystems and a programme extended to 22 municipalities.
The Patriots for Europe, a far-right political group and the third-largest bloc in the European Parliament, including parties such as Chega, National Rally (France), and Vox (Spain), signed a document in Porto rejecting the 'unilateral pressure exerted by the European Commission for the advancement of renewable energy', citing fiscal or ideological pressure and models imposed from Brussels. During the 'Patriots Study Days - Energy, Territory and Sovereignty' meeting, figures such as André Ventura and Jordan Bardella signed the Porto Declaration, which advocates for a 'realistic and comprehensive energy mix' and criticises EU policies for causing energy price hikes and undermining national sovereignty. The group also called for increased scrutiny of wind farm expansion, citing concerns over environmental impact and the protection of rural and coastal communities, while asserting that energy policy must remain a core competence of individual member states.
Sales from the Sonae group derived from circular products and services reached 259 million euros in 2025, a year in which total revenue exceeded 11 billion for the first time. This involves business models such as the repair, refurbishment, and reuse of electronic equipment, or the recovery of ingredients and raw materials.
Environmental engineer Pedro Teiga advocates for nature-based river rehabilitation and issues a warning: a generation of decision-makers is approaching who have never had “river experience”.
The topic of energy sovereignty will bring the Patriots for Europe group to a hotel in Porto, featuring André Ventura and Jordan Bardella. The event aims to demonstrate that security and immigration are not the only priorities for radical right-wing parties. The three-day 'Patriots Study Days' will focus on energy dependence, offshore wind farms, solar energy impacts on agriculture, and the role of nuclear power, culminating in the 'Porto Declaration'.
BEN, the first small electric car manufactured in Portugal, will begin its internationalisation process to help build, piece by piece, the mobility of the future in four new markets. The expansion is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026 in the Amazon, Brazil. Developed at CEiiA in Matosinhos, the city e-car...
Using the Leça river as a starting point, hydrobiologist and researcher Adriano Bordalo e Sá discusses river management in Portugal. “Today, water is just a file within an overloaded [Environment] agency.”
Sogrape, the family-owned wine group behind brands like Ferreirinha, Sandeman, and Mateus, is advancing its 'Seed the Future' sustainability program. The company reported a 3.7 million euro investment in sustainability initiatives last year, focusing on renewable energy, water conservation, and carbon footprint reduction. Mafalda Guedes, representing the fourth generation of the founding family, highlights that the group's vineyards in Portugal currently sequester 116% of their direct carbon emissions, while the company continues to work toward long-term decarbonization and operational efficiency across its global supply chain.
The Sociedade de Transportes Coletivos do Porto (STCP) has awarded the supply of 50 natural gas or biomethane articulated buses for 21.3 million euros, a figure that could rise to 25.6 million if an additional 10 units are purchased. “Following the international public tender (...) for the acquisition of 50 articulated vehicles (plus 10 in...”
STCP has an option to purchase 10 more buses. If it proceeds, the final contract value will increase to 25.6 million euros.
CEiiA is bringing together ten teams to build the best version of the BEN, a 100% Portuguese electric car, using LEGO bricks. This is the first edition of BEN Builders, taking place this Friday and Saturday, 17 and 18 April, at the CEiiA (Centre for Engineering and Development) in Matosinhos. Ten teams, divided into youth, family and school categories, are competing in an event that anticipates the BEN Lab, a pilot plant dedicated to the product transformation phase of the car's special series. The BEN can be driven from the age of 16 and is developed via a digital platform. It combines shared ownership with shared use, encouraging intensive use within user networks and contributing to a reduction in the number of cars and parking space in cities. The initiative aims to scale globally, with the next phases scheduled between 2026 and 2027 in Japan, Brazil (Amazon), Africa and Italy (Turin). Meanwhile, the entry of Chinese electric vehicles into the US threatens a 'devastating' scenario, says the Ford CEO.
The Minister of Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, stressed today that the partial demolition of the Transparente Building in Porto is due to legal reasons and environmental values, and announced that the process will move forward in 2027.
Developed by the local council in partnership with the Bicicultura Cooperative, the 'bicycle train', much like a regular train, has weekly routes with set schedules and paths.
The party writes to Maria da Graça Carvalho and Aguiar-Branco to denounce a situation “that has been going on for years”.
The Edifício Transparente in Porto will undergo partial demolition in a cost-sharing agreement between the City Council and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) to 'renaturalise' the International Beach. Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho stated the building, which dates back to Porto's time as European Capital of Culture in 2001, is in a state of degradation and obstructs the landscape. The plan involves reducing the building's height to the level of the viaduct, leaving only the lower section for beach support facilities. Mayor Pedro Duarte has long advocated for this change to remove the 'barrier' between the City Park and the sea, with the project expected to proceed following the end of the current concession in 2026.
Porto City Council announced this Monday that the city is among the most populous municipalities in the country that wasted the least water in 2025, having reduced water losses by 0.5 percentage points to 11.8%. Águas e Energia do Porto (AEdP) achieved a Non-Revenue Water index at the end of 2025...
Greater Porto will gain 51,000 square metres of new office space this year, according to Sofia Pires, head of Commercial Real Estate at Dils in Porto. She notes that 70% of this new supply is already taken, as companies increasingly encourage employees to return to the office to foster collaboration and culture. Developers are responding to this demand, with 130,000 square metres of office space expected to reach the market by 2028, including major projects like HOP - Heart of Porto, Spark Matosinhos, and various redevelopments by Avenue, Sonae Sierra, Grupo Ferreira, and Mota-Engil. These new developments prioritise sustainability, ESG standards, and green certifications to attract and retain talent. Last year, commercial real estate investment in Portugal reached €2.8 billion, with the Northern region, particularly Greater Porto, attracting significant international interest.
Winner of the National Architecture Award in Wood, the House on the Mountains blends into the terrain, combining sustainability, light, and mastery of the landscape.
The current concessionaire of the Leixões container terminal, Yilport, considers the project for the construction of the new North terminal at the Port of Leixões to be the “worst option”, “unsustainable in the medium and long term”, and at risk of becoming “obsolete even before recovering the investment”. The company argues that...
The project's intention is to create a technology that can be integrated into industrial gas treatment systems.
The local authority led by Luísa Salgueiro wants to stop the expansion of the container terminal unless alternatives are studied and environmental and urban impacts are reduced.
Yilport, the concessionaire for the Leixões port container terminal, believes the new terminal project has structural design flaws and is expected to become obsolete.
