And that cork was used in Ancient Egypt and can be used to produce energy? Did you know that scientific research consistently proves that consumers associate cork with high-quality wines?
Find out everything you’ve always wanted to know about cork.
Yes. According to the Lifecycle Analysis of Cork Stoppers, commissioned by Corticeira Amorim to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, each cork stopper is responsible for capturing 112 g of CO2. Comparing to artificial closures - aluminium and synthetic - these emit 37,2 g and 14,8 g, respectively.
Each tonne of thick cork planks can provide, on average, 66,700 cork stoppers.
Yes. Being a 100% natural product, cork stoppers are biodegradable and do not pollute the atmosphere if they are thrown in the rubbish bin. However, they are completely recyclable and reusable. Although recycled cork shall never be used in stoppers again, it can be used in coverings, insulation, memo boards, high competition kayaks, badminton rackets, tennis and cricket balls, car and aircraft components, design and fashion items and a multitude of other uses.
Environmental motivation is one of the most important factors in recycling. Cork stoppers absorb CO2 particles that have been retained by the bark of the cork oak. If they are decomposed or incinerated, they release the CO2 into the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming. Recycling enables the CO2 retention capacity of cork to be extended. In each tonne of cork stoppers, around 1.07 tonnes of CO2 is retained, which, once they have been recycled, this capacity is ensured forever, as the reuse of this raw material is unlimited.
On the other hand, by recycling used cork stoppers you are also contributing to enabling the reuse of a raw material and the decrease of the costs associated with the production of other high added-value products.
Amorim is a pioneer in promoting the recycling of cork stoppers, developing collection programmes in Portugal, the USA and Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia.
Learn about the cork stopper collection projects in:
Each cubic centimetre of cork may contain around 40 million cells. There are around 800 million cells in a single cork stopper.
All over the world, 13 billion cork stoppers are produced annually. If we were to join them together, they would circle the Earth 15 times.
There are some remnants of the use of cork by the people of Ancient Egypt and in Roman civilisation. In France, amphorae from the 3rd century BC were found full of wine considered to still be in good condition. The use of cork at pre-industrial level dates back to the end of the 17th century.