From Waste to Value: What I Learned at LIPOR, Portugal’s Sustainability Pioneer

Visiting LIPOR felt like stepping into the future of circular economy. As part of the Sustainability & ESG Management Bootcamp at Porto Business School, a module of my Master’s at Rome Business School, we had the opportunity to explore this remarkable Portuguese public company that's turning trash into a circular treasure.

What is LIPOR?

LIPOR is the intermunicipal waste management entity serving over 1 million people in the Porto region. But they don’t just “manage” waste. They rethink it. From composting to energy recovery, LIPOR proves that a truly sustainable waste system goes far beyond collection and disposal.

What Impressed Me the Most

• Education first:
  LIPOR invests heavily in environmental education and community outreach. Schools, families, and citizens all become part of the change. It’s more than infrastructure, it’s culture.

• Zero waste ambition:
  Their goal is not just to reduce landfill, but to completely eliminate it. This includes turning organic waste into compost, and using non-recyclables for energy recovery through waste-to-energy facilities.

• Biodiversity and land use:
  LIPOR doesn’t just handle waste, they’ve rewilded former landfill areas into green parks. Walking through those restored spaces felt like walking into a physical manifestation of regeneration.

• Data-driven ESG in action:
  Everything is tracked: emissions, energy recovery rates, waste diversion. And it’s not just internal, it’s publicly reported. A true example of operational ESG done right.

From Porto to the Planet

This visit connected so many dots from my academic work. It reminded me that the circular economy isn’t a theory, it’s a system you can build. LIPOR integrates social inclusion, environmental resilience, and economic innovation.

And what stood out? They don’t wait for policy. They lead. With public-private collaboration, transparency, and education at their core, they are setting a model not just for Portugal—but for Europe and beyond.

My Key Takeaways:

1. Behavioral change is infrastructure. Technology only works if people use it mindfully.

2. True sustainability is local and systemic. LIPOR proves this.

3. Metrics matter. LIPOR’s reporting shows how to align operations with ESG targets transparently.

Related Posts You May Like:

• Driving Organisational Change in a World That Resists It

• Implementing Circular Business Models: Why Now is the Time to Act

Let’s Discuss:

Have you seen similar waste-to-value strategies where you live? What do you think is the biggest blocker for circular models to scale?

—Morena