VANCOUVER, BC, July 22, 2026 — ChopValue, the leading global circular manufacturing company transforming recycled chopsticks into high-performance engineered products, announces its first Microfactory in Brazil, bringing its localized circular manufacturing model to São Paulo. Scheduled to open in early 2027, the facility will transform one of the city's most abundant urban waste streams, discarded bamboo chopsticks, into high-performance materials for commercial furniture and interior applications.

Leading the Brazilian operation is São Paulo entrepreneur Luciano Consentino. Born and raised in the city, Consentino spent more than two decades in the financial sector before founding Tarantino Cervejaria, now recognized as one of São Paulo's leading independent breweries. He will now lead the development and operation of ChopValue Brazil.

"It's long past time we took circular economy businesses seriously," said Luciano Consentino, Owner and Operator of ChopValue Brazil. "I believe society is placing growing value on sustainable initiatives, and ChopValue offers a simple, elegant solution to a problem that generates more than 400 tonnes of waste a year in São Paulo alone."

São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan and generates more than 150 million disposable bamboo chopsticks each year, representing over 400 tonnes of material that is typically discarded. Brazil's growing commitment to circularity creates a strong foundation for localized manufacturing. In 2025, the federal government approved PLANEC (National Circular Economy Plan), a national roadmap that establishes circular production and waste recovery as strategic priorities through 2034. Combined with Brazil's broader Ecological Transformation Plan and industrial investment initiatives, the policy framework signals growing momentum for businesses that recover materials and manufacture locally.

Brazil has also become a global leader in aluminum recycling, maintaining recycling rates above 95% for many consecutive years through an established reverse logistics system that supports both environmental outcomes and economic opportunity. "This success isn't driven by government mandates alone, but by a reverse logistics system that integrates hundreds of informal waste collectors who would otherwise have no place in the formal economy, with São Paulo at the center of that infrastructure," Consentino added. “It shows that when the right incentives are in place, we can genuinely move people toward environmental awareness."

The Microfactory also reflects growing demand for locally manufactured commercial materials in Brazil, where furniture is typically produced domestically or imported, primarily from China due to high import costs. By manufacturing within São Paulo, ChopValue will offer architects, designers, and businesses a locally produced alternative that supports circular material flows and regional supply chains.

"Brazil represents an exciting next chapter for our global Microfactory network," said Felix Böck, Founder and CEO of ChopValue. "With Luciano's entrepreneurial experience and deep connection to the community, we're excited to build a circular manufacturing ecosystem that reflects the 30 million population metropolitan scale, creativity, and ambition."

With Brazil embracing circular economy as a national priority and São Paulo offering one of the world's richest opportunities for resource recovery, the new Microfactory represents the company’s commitment to building resilient local manufacturing ecosystems that turn everyday waste into valuable materials, strengthening communities while redefining what is possible through circular design.

About ChopValue

ChopValue is the world’s first circular economy franchise for commercialized decentralized manufacturing, with operations in 11 countries and over 80 Microfactories in development to create local impact on a global scale. Founded in 2016, ChopValue’s urban harvesting approach has diverted over 275 million chopsticks from the landfill. This under-utilized resource is engineered into climate positive wood alternative products with zero trade offs to quality or design for homes, restaurants, and businesses. ChopValue serves as a blueprint for a viable circular economy, showcasing the potential of hyperlocal business operations to drive impactful change. To learn more about their resource-efficient impact for a carbon negative future, please visit www.chopvalue.com.

ChopValue is part of the Microfactory Venture Platform (MVP) Group, committed to climate positive materials and products whenever and wherever possible.