The benefits of Cork and History

Cork has a very special place on the planet.

He can get everything you can imagine, without damaging the environment, the animal environment or climate. Consists of the good will of man: the protection of our habitat.

The question is: Why Cork?

"Cork is used for thousands of years. Do not exist many materials that have such along history, or who have endured so well to competition of new materials invented by man. "

It is of utmost importance within the Portuguese economy, whether in forest expansion as in industrial processing. Portugal is the largest producer of cork and cork product are one of the most valuable domestic exports. This material, in addition to a wide range of uses, has an environmental connotation, being not only a raw material but also by the surrounding eco system, cork and any associated fauna and flora.

Portugal transforms around 70% of the world Bark with more than60% of which is for the production of natural cork stoppers.

Contrary to what may seem, cork is part of human culture as technical material since forever, or as a sealant, insulating or buoyant. Even today there is no better material, natural or synthetic, to replace him.

And Compared to other plants?

Although all plants producing cell type of cork is in cork oak the “Quercus Suber

L.”, that produces a protective layer that achieves a considerable thickness, and has the capacity to regenerate, possessing characteristics that make them interesting for various applications and commercial exploitation. Microscopically Cork is a lightweight, elastic, impermeable to liquids and gases, thermal, electrical, acoustic and vibration absorbers, harmless, allowing it to be compressed without lateral expansion.

 The industry of cork in Portugal

The cork industry in Portugal, is quite different:

-Small to medium size (family structure, and labour- intensive) sometimes without financial and organizational capacity to adapt to developments within the sector.

-Transformation industries, with a more established commercial component.

-The Modern industry, which consists of small groups of plants, most dynamic and another part of a more traditional nature, and composed of units of small size and character artisan.

There are large differences in equipment, human resources and financial, production control, procurement of raw materials and marketing.

This situation has improved due to the implementation of the ICRP(International Code of Cork Stopper Manufacturing Practice), also with increasing demands from their customers because the production is essentially facing the export markets of high technology, where competition from other products for the same purpose is high.

Did you know?

The cork oak is a tree that dates from the Tertiary Age, the Oligocene, which is considered have arisen in the area of the Tyrrhenian Sea and has progressively and later migrated to the current locations (Olive,1991).

The natural habitat of this species is in the European Mediterranean area and North Africa. In Portugal cork oaks are scattered throughout the country, in pure stands and mixed but predominantly south of the Tagus (especially in the Alentejo).

Usually the cork oak is a species very tolerant of soils, except calcareous or too clayey, where the root system expands easily.

Requires conditions that provide free expansion root, a high degree of aeration and good internal drainage and regular.

The cork oak tree and a slow-growing and long-lived, which can reach 250 350years, although it is considered that the age limit for the production of cork is 150 to 200 years. The adult cork naturally has a size of about 10 to 15 meters, characterized by a short thick trunk which bifurcates the small height from the ground in major strides angle covered by profuse ram aria. The shape of the cork oak influences the production and profitability of cork extraction. Are considered “bad production units “trees with stems low, tortuous, irregular, with poorly shaped canopies.

Recycled Christmas

I found some Christmas decorations very interesting on the internet and I want to share with you my discovery.

Why not join the cork stoppers and make small applications for Christmas?

This year I want to be different and to honour my planet, so I offer cork products.

We are interested in your opinion about the innovation of the cork sector.

Visit our product pages and check out some of the great accessories, gifts, bags and technology that are made of cork fabric.

We are interested in your opinion about the innovation of the cork sector.