📢 Industrial Safety Exercise: CIRES and Bondalti Test Response to "Domino Effect" Scenario

10 March 2026

This morning, March 10th, the Estarreja industrial complex hosted a major Civil Protection simulation. At 10:30 AM, the companies CIRES and Bondalti initiated a Seveso-type exercise,  focusing on a "domino effect"  scenario.

🛡️ The Scenario and Objectives

The exercise simulated a VCM (Vinyl Chloride Monomer) leak, designed to test resilience and mutual response capabilities between neighboring industrial facilities.

• Inter-coordination: Testing the link between the companies' Internal Emergency Plans.
• External Response: Evaluating coordination with Civil Protection agencies.
• Prevention: Ensuring maximum effectiveness in protecting employees and the community.

🤝 Entities Involved

The operation featured the active and coordinated participation of:

• Estarreja Volunteer Firefighters
• GNR (National Republican Guard)
• Internal Emergency Teams (CIRES & Bondalti)

"The regular performance of these exercises is fundamental to ensuring that, in a real-life scenario, the response is immediate, precise, and integrated."

Safety: A commitment from everyone, every day.

Bolstering Safety and Environmental Commitment in the Port of Aveiro

12th February 2026

CIRES Strengthens Social Responsibility with Foam Concentrate Donation to Ílhavo Volunteer Firefighters.

CIRES has taken another significant step in its social responsibility strategy by donating 425 liters of foam concentrate to the Ílhavo Volunteer Firefighters.

This initiative, part of the mutual aid protocol between both entities, aims to enhance emergency response capabilities, particularly for incidents involving flammable liquids.

What makes it different? The donated material is entirely PFAS-free. By choosing solutions without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, we ensure:

• Protection of operational health: Safeguarding those on the front lines.
• Reduced environmental impact: Promoting more sustainable practices.

This partnership reinforces our commitment to community safety and environmental preservation in the Port of Aveiro region. Together, we are more resilient!

🧪 25 Years of Dialogue and Future: Happy Anniversary, PACOPAR!

04th February 2026

PACOPAR (the Community Advisory Panel of the Estarreja Responsible Care Program) kicked off its 25th-anniversarycelebrations with a landmark event that brought together industry, institutions, and the community. It was a day dedicated to honoring the past while designing the future.

🕒 A Day of Open Doors and Connected Minds

The celebrations went beyond mere words, focusing on action and proximity:

• Visit to the Estarreja Chemical Complex (CQE): The day began "on the ground" with a tour of the panel's member factories, reinforcing the policy of total transparency that defines this pioneering model.
• Conferences at the Cine-Teatro de Estarreja: The stage for debate moved to the heart of the city. Through roundtables and the sharing of ideas, participants discussed sustainability and the vital role of the chemical industry in the region.
• Tributes with History: One of the most moving moments was the tribute to everyone who, over two and a half decades, transformed PACOPAR into a national benchmark for social responsibility and community engagement.
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🤝 More Than Companies: A Community

With over 100 participants in attendance—ranging from business leaders and institutional partners to students from the Estarreja Secondary School and the Estarreja Music Conservatory—it became clear that the secret to this success has been trust.

"Celebrating 25 years is about reaffirming our commitment to continue walking hand-in-hand with the community, promoting dialogue, and building a more sustainable future."

What’s next? The celebrations don’t stop here! 2026 will be a year filled with initiatives to mark this quarter-century of cooperation. Stay tuned for more updates.

CIRES Bolsters Industrial Safety with Intensive Emergency Training in Estarreja

January 15th, 2026

Three-Day Training Session Brings Together Brigadiers and Volunteer Firefighters for High-Complexity Industrial Exercises

As part of its ongoing commitment to safety and prevention, CIRES held another crucial stage of its annual Training Plan between January 13th and 15th. The initiative, which took place at the company’s facilities, was designed to empower Brigadiers, First Responders, and Emergency Directors to provide a rapid and effective response to critical scenarios.

Specialized Training and Technical Focus

The training program was distinguished by its practical component and the technical demands of the simulated operations. Over the course of three days, trainees deepened their skills in vital areas, such as:

• Respiratory Protection: Use of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).
• Chemical Risk: Operations involving chemical protection suits and combating hazardous substance spills.
• Firefighting: Handling of portable extinguishers, water lines, and foam systems.
• Technical Intervention: Sealing leaks, monitoring hazardous atmospheres, and confined space entry.

Synergy with Local Brigades

One of the pillars of this training is the close collaboration with local civil protection agents. In this edition, CIRES featured the active participation of three members of the Estarreja Volunteer Firefighters, promoting an exchange of experiences and the alignment of protocols between the internal team and external responders.

"The coordination between industry and fire departments is fundamental to ensuring operational readiness and the safety of everyone," stated the organization."

A Strategic and Continuous Plan

This session is not an isolated event. CIRES promotes three three-day training actions annually, alternating invitations among the fire departments that serve its various units (factory, port facilities, and pipeline). In addition to Estarreja, this cooperation core also includes the Volunteer Firefighters of Ílhavo and Murtosa, ensuring that all entities within the company's area of influence maintain the highest level of preparedness.

🇵🇹  National Day of the Psychologist – Celebrated at CIRES and PREVINIL

September 04, 2025

On September 4th, Portugal celebrated National Day of the Psychologist, a date dedicated to recognizing the importance of this profession in promoting well-being and quality of life. More than just a simple celebration, the day provided an opportunity to reflect on the growing relevance of mental health, especially in professional settings.

At CIRES and PREVINIL, the date was marked by an initiative created by the intern psychologist, who is currently undertaking the Junior Professional Year required for access to the Portuguese Psychologists' Association. This internship includes conducting a study on the mental health of shift workers, which features relaxation and mindfulness sessionsaimed at all employees, with the goal of managing and reducing high levels of stress and anxiety. The sessions have seen strong participation, with workers acknowledging the value of such initiatives.

On this day, all employees were involved in a symbolic activity that reinforced the message of the importance of caring for mental health in the workplace.

To commemorate the day, orange ribbons - a color associated with psychology, were distributed along with a card carrying the message:

"Mental health is quality of life. Wear this ribbon as a way to acknowledge mental health in your workplace."

This simple gesture conveyed a clear message: mental health is essential and should be valued within organizations. By supporting employees’ psychological well-being, CIRES and PREVINIL not only promote job satisfaction and motivation, but also contribute to better performance, higher productivity, and reduced risks of work-related stress and burnout.

Initiatives like this help raise awareness of mental health and foster a culture of self-care and recognition within companies. Small symbolic gestures, such as wearing the orange ribbon, serve as daily reminders that taking care of mental health is taking care of quality of life and workplace sustainability.

Celebrating National Day of the Psychologist was therefore more than just marking a date: it reinforced CIRES and PREVINIL commitment to the overall well-being of their employees, demonstrating that healthy workplaces that prioritize mental health lead to more motivated, balanced, and productive teams.

56th Anniversary of PREVINIL

January 09, 2025

Founded in 1969 with the objective of producing and marketing PVC composts for packaging, PREVINIL is celebrating its 56th Anniversary.

PREVINIL - Vinyl Compost Preparation Company, S.A., with headquarters in Alverca, part of the CIRES Group. The quality of the products and services provided to customers has a brand image and constant concern!

Congratulations to all PREVINIL collaborators! Learn more here

CIRES offers individual protective equipment to Voluntary Firefighters of Murtosa

December 18, 2024

In the scope of the protocol between CIRES and the B. V. da Murtosa, providing services and assistance in the areas of technical assistance, training and training in the areas of fire and accident fighting involving hazardous materials, not least in the installations of CIRES, for whom you deliver to this group of firefighters, various individual protection equipment.

64th Anniversary of CIRES

November 23, 2024

At the service of the chemical industry, CIRES celebrated its 64th Anniversary, on November 23, 2024, with a lunch held in Estarreja at a hotel.

With a completely filled room, it was a time to celebrate the anniversary and bring together all the company's employees, where some of its members were honored for their 15, 25 and 35 years of service.

It was also attended by Prof. Bayão Horta. who, in a short speech, highlighted the prestige of the company and its human resources, something that, from his perspective, is the fundamental piece for its success.

CIRES says goodbye to Professor Ricardo Bayão Horta

June 28, 2024

At an event that brought together company employees, the departure of Professor Bayão Horta was marked after 36 years of leadership in the CIRES Administration. Teresa Empis and Jorge Martins were also honored, elements who closely accompanied the Professor during a good part of this journey and who have now also passed another stage of their lives.

For Eng. Pedro Gonçalves, general director of the company, in his farewell speech, "36 years is more than half the history of CIRES, but the importance, the presence of Professor Bayão Horta in the company, was much more than what the mere arithmetic ratio suggests . Far ahead of his time, Prof. Bayão Horta had a strong sense of Social Responsibility, promoting ethics, transparency and solidarity within the organization and in relations with all interested parties, whether local or local. commercial and institutional relationships. This is, perhaps, the greatest legacy that Prof. BH leaves us. This is what will allow CIRES to continue adapting, reinventing itself, to respond to the many challenges of its future.”

Civil Protection and Chemical Industry

May 25, 2024

The Estarreja Volunteer Firefighters held the "Civil Protection and Chemical Industry" Seminar last weekend, culminating in an event of great technical quality and importance for the region. 

CIRES, represented by Engineer Pedro Gonçalves, had the opportunity to talk about essential topics such as sustainability and safety in all areas of the company's action, in addition to highlighting the importance of specialized training, aligned with the real needs of customers. (BVE photos)

CIRES receives the European OCS Certification Scheme

24jan2024

. The AENOR certificate guarantees the environmental commitment of CIRES, LDA. with the conservation of our seas.

. This is the first European OCS certificate awarded by AENOR in the Iberian Peninsula

Madrid, January 24, 2024 - CIRES took a new step forward in its commitment to the environment and the conservation of the seas, by obtaining the first certificate issued by AENOR in accordance with the "OCS Europe" program. Thus, the Portuguese company, which has already demonstrated its commitment to making the plastics industry increasingly sustainable in 2021 by obtaining the certificate based on AENOR's own scheme for OCS®, evolves and continues with its environmental strategy by adapting to the European environment with the new AENOR recognition that incorporates specific requirements.

CIRES, LDA. has more than six decades of experience in the plastics processing industry, having immediately assumed its role as a lever in the production of PVC products, contributing to the consolidation and development of the company's activity and the sector. Within this line, and aiming to be a reference within the sector, CIRES chose to follow the "OCS Europe" certification scheme, as it is a voluntary global initiative of the plastics industry that aims to prevent the emission of particles into the environment. of plastic (pellets, flakes, dust), which can occur unintentionally at any stage of the plastics value chain: production, handling, transport, transformation and recycling.

AENOR's certification system confirms the degree of compliance with the five main criteria of the OCS initiative: making zero pellet losses a priority, assessing the company's situation and needs, introducing the necessary improvements in facilities and equipment, raising awareness among workers and create a sense of responsibility and monitor, through the definition of measurable indicators, the improvement following the application of the measures put into practice.

The certificate was received by Pedro Gonçalves, General Director of Cires, LDA, by Lina Sá Pinto, Director of AENOR Portugal, and Ricardo Pascual, Director of Business Development for Product Certification at AENOR.

Pedro Gonçalves expressed his satisfaction with the fact that CIRES "has achieved this important certification, which is a very important milestone in making its activity more sustainable, contributing positively to the preservation of the terrestrial and marine environment. CIRES is also proud to to be the first company in the Iberian Peninsula to receive the "OCS Europe" certificate issued by AENOR, which demonstrates once again the pioneering spirit that has always characterized its path since its foundation."

For her part, Lina Sá Pinto highlighted that "it is essential that historic companies like CIRES, LDA. show the rest of the value chain their commitment, through "OCS Europe", to protecting the environment. In this way, they convey confidence to all its stakeholders and sets an example for all its suppliers, customers and competitors".

Two other companies from the Japanese SHIN-ETSU group, to which CIRES belongs, PREVINIL and CYGSA, with factories in Portugal and Spain, respectively, also have the AENOR OCS certificate and will soon adapt their systems to the "European model".

AENOR's experience with organizations committed to reducing the discharge of pellets and microplastics into the environment is now advancing with the new European scheme, which is progressively joined by companies that already trusted in this certification to demonstrate their environmental commitment to the OCS® scheme. original and which now has European support thanks to the authorization obtained by AENOR for the certification of the voluntary scheme "OCS Europe", promoted by the association of European plastics manufacturers (Plastics Europe) and the association of European plastics processors (EuPC) .

PREVINIL’s 55th Anniversary

09jan2024

PREVINIL - Empresa Preparadora de Compostos Vinílios, S.A., based in Alverca, was founded in 1969 with the aim of producing and selling PVC compounds for packaging.

Company that is part of the CIRES Group, completes 55 years of intense activity in the industrial market. The quality of products and services provided to customers is a constant concern and objectives to be achieved.

Congratulations to all PREVINIL employees! Find out more here

New generation LiteVin VICIR®

05jan2024

CIRES, Lda. actively seeks to contribute to a better world, investing in the development and improvement of technology to reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing process and its products.

As part of this work, the launch of the new LiteVin VICIR® brand, the new sustainable generation of suspension polyvinyl chloride (S-PVC) and emulsion (E-PVC) homopolymers, represents a significant contribution to decarbonization and a notable step forward. towards the circular economy. Find out more here

CIRES in the #PlásticosEnPositivo campaign

04jan2024

CIRES, along with other companies in the sector, participates in the launch of the #PlásticosEnPositivo campaign promoted by Plastics Europe España, which highlights the progress of the industry towards the Circular Economy and Climate Neutrality.

Watch here the promotional video of the campaign, with the participation of a CIRES employee.

CIRES 63rd Anniversary

23nov2023

At the service of the chemical industry, CIRES celebrated its 63rd Anniversary, on November 23, 2023, with a lunch held in Estarreja at a hotel.

Time to celebrate the anniversary and bring together all the company's employees, where some of its members were honored for their 25 years of service.

CIRES installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

31oct2023

CIRES recently acquired and installed 3 charging stations for electric vehicles, from WEG's WEMOB Wall line. These devices are equipped with 5 meter cables, online connectivity and have a modern and robust design.

With this acquisition, CIRES hopes not only to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the carbon footprint of its service vehicles, but also to promote a culture of sustainability among its employees.

Annual simulation exercise at the Liquid Bulk Terminal of the Port of Aveiro

25oct2023

A simulated accident exercise took place on October 25, 2023 within the scope of the Internal Emergency Plan of the Port of Aveiro - APA.

The scenario of the simulation was the occurrence of a fire during the VCM unloading operation on the articulated arm connecting the pier bridge to the ship operated by CIRES, at the Liquid Bulk Terminal of the Port of Aveiro (TGL).

The main objective of the simulation was to test the operability of existing means and all the logistics involved for the simulated scenario, as well as the capacity of the various participants in conducting the evacuation process of people assigned to the various companies installed at the Liquid Bulk Terminal, Solid Bulk (TGS) and Logistics and Industrial Activities Zone (ZALI).

From the Operations Coordination Center (CCO), located at the headquarters of APA S.A., the simulated accident was managed through the communication channels established with the various intervention teams on site, namely with the CIRES brigade team and BONDALTI the Volunteer Fire Brigades of Ílhavo and Aveiro, the Tinita Tug Company, GNR, Maritime Authority, Municipal Civil Protection Service of the Ílhavo City Council, National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority - Sub-Regional Command of the Aveiro Region , Security managers from companies located in TGL, TGS and ZALI, as well as teams from the intervention centers at APA, S.A.

All fire-fighting equipment was successfully tested, namely the fire network from CIRES, BONDALTI and APA, from the three fire brigades, as well as the water projection from the two tugs from the company Tinita, which participated in the drill.

Training action for Oliveira de Azemés Volunteer Firefighters at the CIRES training camp

21oct2023

On October 21st, a training event organized by the Volunteer Firefighters of Oliveira de Azeméis took place at the CIRES Training Camp, which was attended by 25 members of this Corporation.

This activity took place within the scope of the Cooperation Protocol established between CIRES and several fire brigades in the region, which provides for the provision of the company's Training Camp for external training actions.

With this collaboration, CIRES contributes to improving the technical training of firefighters, who thus have the opportunity to carry out training in conditions closer to real situations.

Visit by Chemical Engineering Students from the University of Coimbra

18oct2023

On October 18th, CIRES received a visit from 3rd year students of the degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Coimbra, accompanied by Professors Ana Fonseca and Carlos Abreu.

In the CIRES auditorium, students and teachers first watched a presentation of the company and its activity and then made a brief visit to the manufacturing facility, where they passed through the different sectors of the factory and had contact with the main equipment used in the manufacturing process of the PVC. Finally, they also visited the CIRES Laboratory, where they were given an explanation about the main laboratory tests carried out to characterize PVC.

CIRES thanks you for your visit and hopes that this moment of contact with the reality of the chemical industry was important for enriching the training of future Chemical Engineers.

CIRES at ChemPor 2023

15sep2023

CIRES was present at the 14th International Conference on Chemical and Biological Engineering – ChemPor 2023 – which took place in Bragança from the 12th to the 15th of September and had more than 300 participants from various countries. Since its first edition in 1975, this event has aimed to promote the exchange of knowledge and technology between the academic and industrial communities, within the scope of chemical and biological engineering.

ChemPor 2023 was organized by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança together with the Order of Engineers, where experts from several countries addressed current challenges in engineering and technology, with emphasis on topics such as green chemistry, engineering education and development sustainable, among others.

CIRES was one of the “Gold” sponsors of this 14th edition of ChemPor and was represented throughout the event by members of the Development and Sustainability Department and the Commercial Department. Engineer Liliana Lameiras, PhD student under the EngIQ Doctoral Program, presented a poster entitled “Development of new PVC based products through emulsion process” and Doctor Arnaldo Tomás, Director of Development and Sustainability, gave an oral presentation on the theme “ PVC – A sustainable material”.

Training

17mar2023

Within the scope of the CIRES Training Plan, another training and training action took place on the 14th, 16th and 17th of March in the areas of action in case of emergency for Brigades, First Aiders and Emergency Directors, whose programmatic content consisted of the following activities:

Use of ARICA - Open Circuit Isolating Breathing Apparatus;

Use of chemical facts;

Fight fires using portable extinguishers, water lines and foam;

Entry into confined spaces;

Monitoring potentially dangerous atmospheres;

Combating spills of dangerous substances;

Leak plugging.

The Volunteer Firefighters of Estarreja were invited to this training, who were present with five members.

CIRES promotes five training actions annually and invites the Fire Brigades assigned to the company's various units (factory, port reception facilities - IPR and pipeline) to actively participate in training modules, alternating between them.

The Volunteer Fire Brigades of Estarreja, Ílhavo, Murtosa and Oliveira de Azeméis are part of this nucleus.