Sustainability

With a clear focus on sustainability and the enhancement of cultural and creative resources, Matosinhos has developed public policies that contribute to building a creative and gastronomic city, recognized both nationally and internationally. By supporting entrepreneurs, promoting culture, and encouraging innovation, Matosinhos continues to strengthen its position as one of the region’s top gastronomic destinations.

The city has invested in improving and revitalizing gastronomic venues, such as Municipal Markets. Through cultural and gastronomic events, Matosinhos has successfully attracted diverse audiences and showcased the richness of its local products. The recognition of these efforts is reflected in the positive engagement of restaurants and the advantageous economic returns.

Climatic events such as extremely dry temperatures or intense precipitation bring on consequences like the degradation of the biodiversity and water scarcity which in turn affect the food systems. For those motives, the city bets in initiatives for the protection of the maritime, coastal, forest, and heritage ecosystems, like the creation of the Action Plan for Matosinhos’ Sustainable Energy and Climate, which foresees resilience solutions and, also, the identification of opportunities that the city can potentiate, in partnership with universities (CIIMAR, UPTEC-MAR), public and private institutions (CEiiA), companies and citizens.

The PINKtech project, composed by CIIMAR’s research team (faculty members at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and PhD students in Biology) consists in the use of pink-coloured bacteria, rich in carotenoids, with the goal of intensifying in a natural and healthy way the color of fish like salmon, or even aquarium fish.

In 2022 it was announced that a new campus of the University of Porto will be installed in Matosinhos, ideally located in the former Petrogal refinery in Leça da Palmeira, which will consist of an ecosystem of teaching, research and incubation focused on the digital and energy transition, under the Innovation District project.

The project ValorMar by SONAE in partnership with the Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute of the University of Porto (ICBAS), the Marine and Environmental Research Centre (CIIMAR), Docapesca – Ports and Fish Markets S.A., among others, seeks to develop innovative solutions to valorize fishing and agriculture subproducts, promoting the decrease of waste and the increase of the sector’s sustainability, in addition to generating positive impacts in the local economy and contributing for a more sustainable management of marine resources.

Matosinhos integrates the INSURE.hub – Innovation in Sustainability and Regeneration Hub, an initiative by the Portuguese Catholic University of Porto and by Planetiers New Generation, which already counts with the participation of 40 entities, and aims at transdisciplinary innovation through initiatives for the promotion of circular economy and sustainable entrepreneurship. Among the partners there are several entities from the gastronomy sector.

Matosinhos is home to Tecmafoods, a company dedicated to the production of insects and their transformation into ingredients for food, fertilizers and other agro-industrial applications that is a highly sustainable and scalable protein production method, with a very positive environmental, economic, and social impact. In practice, the company uses food by-products discarded by the food and distribution industry to create new protein through insect production.

In 2023, Matosinhos was the stage for the major international summit “Sustainability and Society Forum”, an initiative organized by Global Media Group (GMG) in partnership with Galp, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, INATEL Foundation, BEL Group and the Matosinhos Municipality, which consisted in a debate of ideas to mobilize energies and propose policies to guarantee a sustainable and inclusive future.

Regarding education for the environmental sustainability, projects like “My Backyard Is My World” were developed to promote the practice of composting and biologic agriculture and “Vegetable Garden in School” which counted with the participation of 838 students in 2022 and intended to promote the contact with nature and the interest for agricultural practices. The “Biocapacity in the City” project with the Gonçalves Zarco Secondary School aimed at informing and promoting good practices to enhance the territory and native species among students.

Matosinhos holds the Green Destination certification, reflecting its commitment to sustainability and recognizing local businesses for their responsible practices. The municipality further supports traditional sectors such as fishing and agriculture, promoting local products and fostering a creative and sustainable business ecosystem.

Also noteworthy are the activities promoted by The Centre for Monitoring and Environmental Interpretation of Matosinhos, a center for scientific dissemination and environmental education in the area of the sea, which in 2022 involved a total of 30,095 participants of all ages in activities to promote environmental sustainability.