“Sustainability is very important to us,” António Relvas, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Casa Relvas, together with his brother, Alexandre Relvas, told the Lusa news agency.

In wine, he recalled, Casa Relvas was one of the first producers to be certified by the Alentejo Wine Sustainability Programme (PSVA), an innovative initiative promoted by the Alentejo Regional Wine Commission (CVRA).

And now, “we were the first” to be certified under the Olive Oil Sustainability Programme (PSA), he said.

The PSA, an equally pioneering initiative, was launched in 2022, in a partnership between OLIVUM – Associação de Olivicultores e Lagares de Portugal (Association of Olive Growers and Mills of Portugal), based in Beja, and the University of Évora, and was then focused solely on the Alentejo region.

The project eventually took on a national scope in 2024, and the auditing processes for awarding certifications began in 2025, based on a framework of 98 criteria, organised into 26 chapters, which assess the “environmental, social and economic dimensions of olive oil production”.

Casa Relvas became the first certified producer, providing “continuity” to the work the company has been doing over the years in the areas of social, economic and environmental sustainability, explained António Relvas.

According to the manager, to ensure PSA certification, the company did not have to “change anything structurally”, but the process ended up creating “new challenges for improvement, both in environmental metrics and management metrics”.

The commitment to sustainability has led the company to create a composting plant over the years and use olive pits as a source of energy to power the boilers at its mill, located in the municipality of Vidigueira, in the district of Beja.

Other measures adopted by the company include planting grass between trees in its olive groves in Vidigueira and the municipality of Redondo, in the district of Évora, installing photovoltaic panels for energy production, and using boxes certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

In addition, the manager explained, Casa Relvas proceeded in 2025 with a “survey of all the biodiversity of the fauna and flora of the 2,500 hectares” of olive groves, vineyards, almond groves, and forests it manages.

In the social area, “around 15% of our profits go to social support, for our workers and the communities where we operate,” explained António Relvas.

And in terms of economic sustainability, the company is committed to “the efficient use of water, to produce more with less”.

In António Relvas’ opinion, the added value of PSA certification is that it proves “that Portuguese agriculture is sustainable and among the best in the world”.

In addition, he concluded, the programme allows “Portuguese olive oil to be valued” on the international market, which “is great for Portugal and for local populations”.

The first certificate for Casa Relvas was issued in December 2025 and, according to António Relvas, “very soon it will be possible to find the first olive oils with the sustainability seal available on the market”.