The Art of Second Chances

For Flávia Andrade, every empty bottle is an opportunity waiting to be discovered.

The founder of Inovarte never imagined she would build a business around recycled glass. The idea came one day as she walked through a community, noticing the growing number of discarded beer, wine and soft drink bottles scattered around the newly built neighbourhood. “I kept thinking, surely there must be something we can do with all these bottles,” she recalls.

Curiosity quickly turned into determination. Working from home, Flávia began experimenting, breaking bottle after bottle as she searched for the right technique. “I broke so many bottles,” she laughs. “But I never gave up.” Gradually, glasses became jugs, bowls and decorative pieces. When the lack of specialist equipment threatened to stop her progress, support from HBD Príncipe and Príncipe Collection funding through the CCC enabled her to acquire the tools she needed to continue growing her workshop.
What fascinates Flávia most is transformation. “People see waste,” she says. “I see something beautiful.” Looking at a finished piece still fills her with wonder. “I often thank God,” she smiles, “for allowing me to create something so unique and so beautiful.”

Although she enjoys making everything from vases to bowls, her favourite creation remains a matching set of six glasses and a jug. “When I see similar sets in shops, I think, I can make that too,” she says. “And when I finish one, made with my own hands and with love, I feel it’s even more special.”

Today, Flávia transforms discarded glass bottles into handcrafted glasses, jugs, bowls, vases and decorative pieces at her Inovarte workshop. Supported by equipment funded through the CCC, her work gives a second life to materials that would otherwise become waste, reducing the need to import glassware while celebrating local craftsmanship. Visiting Flávia’s stand in the city’s market, and soon her products at Casa Verde, guests can take home a beautiful reminder that sustainability and creativity can go hand in hand.