CTT - Correios de Portugal won the CSR Coups de Coeur 2022 award, from PostEurop, in the Environmental category, with the anti-Covid 19 mask recycling project, a To-Be-Green initiative, which the Company joined in July 2021.

According to João Bento, CTT's CEO, "giving a second life to protective masks is an innovative project that promotes the circular economy by processing waste to create new products. In just one and a half years, CTT and To-Be-Green recycled tens of thousands of masks used by the company's employees, contributing to the reduction of waste, with a strong positive impact on the environment. The community is the force for change and the adoption of sustainable practices is increasingly urgent. This project was very well received within CTT and is another example of our strong commitment to environmental issues.”

The mask recycling and valuation project coordinated by To-Be-Green, a spin-off from the University of Minho, to give a second life to discarded masks usually sent to landfill, was initially implemented at CTT's Production and Logistics Centres of Cabo Ruivo and Maia and at the Logistics and Delivery Center of Taveiro, and then extended to the Company's headquarters, in Lisbon, and to two Express operation centres, MARL and Perafita.

The masks used and deposited in the containers by the employees working at these locations were later transformed through a chemical process into a resistant material, which was used to create new products, and the project continues to bear good results.

Last year, in December, just in time to celebrate the Christmas season in a more sustainable and solidary way, the first products were produced - small decorations for the Christmas tree. The project continued to bear results and the masks started to give life to hangers produced 100% with CTT recycled material and to other products used in CTT's operations.

The acceptance and commitment of CTT employees when we mention making a difference is very positive and is reflected in the results already achieved. Altogether, CTT has already sent 23 thousand masks for recycling, the equivalent to 70 kilos.

This project is sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment and the Portuguese Environment Agency and aims to reduce the environmental impact associated with the daily use of protective masks against covid-19, through their processing and the creation of new products, rather than disposing of them in landfills.