PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: 3 September 2026

1. Who we are

Better2Earth Lda ("Better2Earth", "we", "us" or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data.

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR") and applicable Portuguese data protection legislation, the data controller is:

Better2Earth Lda
Registered office: Rua Tenente Cabeleira Filipe, 24, 4 Dto, 2430-306 Marinha Grande, Portugal
VAT number: PT 515 391 352
Company registration number: 6840-2175-8827
Email: info@better2earth.com

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal data when you visit better2earth.com, contact us, submit an enquiry or otherwise interact with Better2Earth.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect only personal data that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

When you contact us or submit an enquiry through our website, we may collect:

your first and last name;
email address;
organisation or institution;
telephone number, if provided;
country and, where applicable, state or region;
preferred method and time of contact;
the type of organisation you represent;
the subject of your enquiry or area of interest;
information contained in your message or otherwise voluntarily provided by you.

When you visit our website, certain technical information may also be processed automatically for the operation, security and maintenance of the website. This may include your IP address, browser and device information, date and time of access, pages visited, referring page and technical server logs.

Please do not submit sensitive personal data through our general enquiry forms unless it is genuinely necessary and has been specifically requested by Better2Earth.

3. How we use your personal data

We may process your personal data to:

respond to enquiries and requests for information;
discuss potential projects, research activities, partnerships, investment opportunities or commercial relationships;
evaluate potential cooperation with companies, universities, research organisations, public authorities, NGOs and other organisations;
arrange meetings and communicate with you about matters you have asked us to address;
take steps at your request before entering into a contract or cooperation arrangement;
manage existing business, research or project relationships;
operate, maintain and secure our website and information systems;
prevent misuse, fraud, security incidents or unauthorised access;
comply with applicable legal, regulatory, accounting or administrative obligations;
establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
send marketing or promotional communications only where we have an appropriate legal basis to do so.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those for which the data were collected unless permitted or required by law.

4. Legal bases for processing

Under the GDPR, we process personal data only where there is a lawful basis for doing so.

Depending on the circumstances, our processing may be based on:

Steps taken at your request or performance of a contract — where processing is necessary to respond to a request relating to a potential contractual, commercial, research or cooperation relationship, or to perform an existing agreement.

Legitimate interests — where processing is necessary for Better2Earth's legitimate interests, including responding to genuine business enquiries, developing partnerships, managing professional relationships, improving our activities, operating our website and protecting our systems, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Legal obligation — where we must process or retain information to comply with applicable law.

Consent — where we specifically ask for your consent for a particular purpose. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

The Portuguese data protection authority, the CNPD, expressly notes that consent is only one of several lawful bases under the GDPR and should not automatically be used where another lawful basis, such as contractual necessity, is more appropriate.

5. Enquiries and contact forms

Information submitted through our website contact or enquiry forms is used primarily to understand and respond to your request.

The information may be reviewed by the Better2Earth team member or other authorised person most appropriate to deal with your enquiry.

Where your enquiry relates to a potential collaborative project involving third parties, we will not routinely disclose your personal information to those parties merely because you contacted us. Where sharing information becomes necessary to progress the opportunity, we will do so only where there is an appropriate legal basis and with due regard to confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically subscribe you to marketing communications.

6. Cookies and website technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the website to function correctly, maintain security, process forms and remember user preferences.

Strictly necessary cookies may be used without consent where permitted by law.

Where Better2Earth uses analytics, measurement, advertising or other non-essential cookies that require consent, those cookies should only be activated after you have made the appropriate choice through the website's cookie-management mechanism.

You may change or withdraw your cookie preferences through the available cookie settings and may also manage cookies through your browser.

The CNPD considers that cookies used for analytics generally require prior consent under Portuguese electronic communications legislation.

Where a separate cookie notice or cookie-preference tool is provided on the website, it should contain more detailed and current information about the particular cookies and services in use.

7. Sharing your personal data

Better2Earth does not sell personal data.

We may disclose personal data where reasonably necessary to:

authorised Better2Earth personnel and consultants who require the information for legitimate business purposes;
providers that support our website, hosting, email, IT, cybersecurity, communications or other business systems;
professional advisers, such as lawyers, accountants or auditors, where necessary;
project or cooperation partners where disclosure is necessary for a specific activity and there is an appropriate lawful basis;
competent courts, regulators, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law;
a purchaser, investor or successor organisation in connection with a genuine merger, acquisition, restructuring or transfer of all or part of our business, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

Service providers processing personal data on our behalf are expected to process it only for authorised purposes and to implement appropriate security and confidentiality measures.

8. International transfers

Better2Earth is established in Portugal and is subject to the GDPR.

Some technology or service providers used in connection with our website, communications or business activities may process information outside Portugal or, in some circumstances, outside the European Economic Area.

Where personal data are transferred outside the European Economic Area, Better2Earth will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with applicable data protection law. Where required, this may include relying on an adequacy decision of the European Commission, approved Standard Contractual Clauses or another legally recognised transfer mechanism.

Further information about safeguards applicable to a particular transfer may be requested at info@better2earth.com.

9. How long we retain personal data

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to comply with applicable legal obligations.

As a general approach:

General enquiries that do not develop into an ongoing relationship will normally be reviewed for deletion or anonymisation within 24 months after the last substantive interaction.

Project, research, partnership or commercial correspondence may be retained for the duration of the relationship and afterwards for as long as reasonably necessary for legitimate business, contractual, audit or legal purposes.

Contractual, accounting and tax records will be retained for the periods required by applicable Portuguese law.

Website and security logs should normally be retained only for the period reasonably required for security and troubleshooting, unless longer retention is necessary to investigate a security incident or meet a legal requirement.

Where consent is the basis for processing, records necessary to demonstrate that consent was obtained may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to demonstrate compliance.

At the end of the applicable retention period, personal data will be deleted, anonymised or securely archived where continued retention is legally required.

10. Security

Better2Earth takes reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.

These measures may include secure website connections, access controls, authentication, restricted access to systems, appropriate backup and security procedures and the use of reputable service providers.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal-data breach, we will assess and address it in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

11. Your data protection rights

Subject to the conditions and limitations established by the GDPR, you may have the right to:

obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and request access to those data;
request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
request erasure of your personal data;
request restriction of processing;
object to processing based on legitimate interests;
receive certain personal data in a portable format and, where applicable, request their transfer to another controller;
withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent;
object to direct marketing at any time;
lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at info@better2earth.com.

We may need to request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity before responding to a request.

We aim to respond within the periods required by applicable law.

For individuals in Portugal, the supervisory authority is:

Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD)
Av. D. Carlos I, 134 – 1.º
1200-651 Lisboa
Portugal
www.cnpd.pt

The GDPR requires controllers to inform individuals about, among other matters, the identity of the controller, purposes and legal bases for processing, recipients, international transfers where applicable, retention and data-subject rights.

12. Marketing communications

Better2Earth may contact existing professional contacts about matters reasonably related to an established relationship where permitted by applicable law.

Where consent is required for electronic marketing, we will seek that consent before sending such communications.

You may ask us to stop sending marketing communications at any time by using any unsubscribe mechanism provided or by contacting info@better2earth.com.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending communications that are necessary in connection with an existing project, agreement, enquiry or other non-marketing relationship.

13. Information about other people

If you provide Better2Earth with personal data relating to another person, you should ensure that you are authorised to provide those data and, where appropriate, that the person has been informed about the processing described in this Privacy Policy.

14. Children

The Better2Earth website and its services are intended primarily for professional, research, institutional and business audiences.

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children through the general website enquiry forms. If you believe that a child has provided personal data to us inappropriately, please contact info@better2earth.com.

15. Links to third-party websites

Our website may contain links to websites, platforms or services operated by third parties.

Better2Earth is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy information provided by those organisations before submitting personal data to them.

16. Automated decision-making

Better2Earth does not use information submitted through its general website enquiry forms to make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects on individuals.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our activities, website, service providers or applicable legal requirements.

The current version will be published on this page and will show the date from which it applies.

Where changes materially affect how we process personal data, we will take appropriate steps to inform affected individuals where required.

18. Contact us

For questions about this Privacy Policy, the way Better2Earth processes personal data, or to exercise your data protection rights, contact:

Better2Earth Lda
Rua Tenente Cabeleira Filipe, 24, 4 Dto
2430-306 Marinha Grande
Portugal

Email: info@better2earth.com

Effective date: 3 September 2026