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Sustainability

Wool Transformation

WHAT DRIVES US?


We are committed to the values of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park. To the Mountain as it is part of our nature. Its culture and ancient wool legacy. To keep it alive and extend its history that comes from far away. To promote its legacy and culture. And spread the Portuguese burel art in a conscious way, respecting nature and the mountain that is our home.


Sustainability starts with wool, with the sheep that give rise to it and have shaped the valleys of the Serra da Estrela region for as long as there is memory.


For the production of burel of we turn to local shepherds who graze sheep outdoors on the upper plateaus of Serra da Estrela, where the grass is softer and makes the wool extra soft. We use wool from Bordaleira and Churra, two indigenous breeds, as well as Portuguese Merino, assuring that the animals are treated well, live happily, and that the shearing is done manually in order to not cause any animal distress. Shearing is a required act for the animal’s comfort, while preserving an ancestral tradition, keeping this culture forward in time.


Wool is the foundation for everything we do, without causing an environmental impact. It is a natural and non-polluting product. Recyclable, renewable and durable.

RECYCLED CLAIM STANDARD CERTIFICATION


It is wool that inspires us and drives us to its constant recycling and reuse, which led to the creation of a line of recycled burel and blankets, an act that this year guaranteed us the RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certification which validated our recycling standard and our continued commitment to creating the least possible ecological impact, as well as our zero-waste policy.

ZERO WASTE

In nature nothing is lost, everything is transformed. It is based on this universal standard that we work. Burel Factory has advocated the zero-waste policy since its beginning, with the conscious use of its resources and developing partnerships with artists, designers and associations in order to innovate in the use and valorization of wool, our raw material, and developing part of our products from burel waste, to let us be surprised by the results that give rise to unique and conscious pieces, creating the least ecological impact possible.

Our premise on the issue of waste also involves raising awareness of this practice, leading us to create products that call attention to this issue, promoting good practices through our co-workers and partners and overall clients.

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY. A SOCIAL COMMITMENT.


Our commitment of the region’s valorization and its culture makes imperative to encourage its long-term economic and social development, ensuring its sustainability, generating employment and attracting qualified labor, in order to encourage local and social development.


Concretely: we employ locals and train them. We encourage the younger generation that left home looking for better job conditions in big cities, to return to their home and we encourage their settlement. We are promoters of non-desertification in the municipality of Manteigas village and the interior of Portugal. We encourage small producers and local artisans who supply us in different areas, small landowners who house many of our employees. Several collaborators formed a family. And more babies born again in the village of Manteigas. We believe that true sustainability is measured with these indicators.


It is in the continued commitment to the community through continuous training, incentives for qualified work, education, the transmission of knowledge between generations, that we contribute to the economic and social sustainability of one of the most isolated regions of the country, making it richer, more diverse, more plural and guaranteeing the offer of various services that funnel everyone into the enhancement and discovery of Serra da Estrela, with proposals of added value which guarantee good prospects for the future.