What Makes Cork So Unique?
by Lafitte
Cork is All Natural
Cork is the bark of Quercus suber, also known as Cork Oak, a tree capable of living up to 250 years. It is a 100% natural, 100% reusable, and 100% recyclable raw material, consisting of a hive of microscopic cells filled with a gas identical to air and coated with, mainly, suberin and lignin.
This unique chemical composition provides cork with a multitude of features - lightness, elasticity, compressibility, resistance, impermeability, thermal and acoustic insulation - unequaled by any material created by human hands. These one-of-a-kind characteristics allow it to be used for several purposes which, in turn, make it an easily reusable material.
Cork is Eco-friendly
Environmentally speaking, the cork oaks from which the cork is harvested play a fundamental role in soil preservation, regulation of the hydrological cycle, and water quality.
The extraction of cork from cork oaks does not damage them - quite the contrary. Careful harvesting, carried out by professionals, is not harmful to the trees as they are stripped of their bark and not cut. The cork naturally renews itself after nine years. The cork industry allows these vast forests to be protected and explored, without disturbing their ecosystem - in fact, stripped cork oaks absorb 3 to 5 times more carbon dioxide than unstripped trees.
These trees actively counteract the desertification tendency existent in Mediterranean regions. In addition to that, due to their vast oxygen production, cork oaks offset about 14 million tons of carbon dioxide every year and present themselves as a unique and extraordinarily rich ecosystem, housing thousands of species. In fact, the Montado is internationally recognized for its biodiversity, being one of the 35 global biodiversity sanctuaries.
Reusability of Cork
The cork used in the production of cork stoppers is recycled into other products, meaning that any waste arising from its production is not actually waste at all!
This cork is ground up and used in other products, such as conglomerates, panels, footwear, vehicles, home decor, and much more.
Aging capacity of Cork
About 50% of the volume of cork consists of a gas identical to air, which grants it an extraordinary lightness, making it capable of floating. This chemical composition also gives cork a surprising elasticity, making it capable of adapting to changes in temperature and pressure without suffering variations. This same elasticity causes the cork to expand inside the neck of a bottle in order to seal the liquid contained within.
However, the magic is in the tiniest details - its microscopic porosity allows oxygen to interact with the wine in just the perfect measure to encourage rich aging.
Thanks to the impermeability provided by the suberin that surrounds the walls of its cells, cork works as an excellent insulator, resisting humidity and aging without deteriorating.