The montado habitat, where the cork oak grows, is home to a wealth of natural biodiversity, including wildlife, grasslands and diverse flora. It has wide variety of species of animals and plants that form part of the food chain centred around the cork oak. The Natura 2000 Network considers the cork oak montados and woods to be important for the preservation of the biodiversity. The montado is still one of the 36 hotspots of the biodiversity, on a par with Amazon, or Borneo.

We discuss the environmental benefits of cork, including its role in CO2 absorption and forest conservation. Patrick dispels common myths about cork, such as the misconception that cork trees are cut down during harvesting. Instead, cork is harvested by hand in a sustainable manner that allows the tree to continue growing and absorbing CO2.

Cork leather is made from the bark of the cork oak tree. Notably, harvesting the bark does not harm the tree, making it infinitely renewable – provided the harvesting process is carried out carefully, by experts, every nine or so years, in order to preserve forest health and longevity.

Waste cork from the Sardinian and Portuguese wine industries was used to make the material, alongside raw cork from sustainably harvested from cork oak trees. The abundant use of cork gives the material sound-dampening properties, making it suitable for noisy, high-traffic interiors.

Cork forests, often overlooked in discussions about the world’s ecosystems, play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of our planet’s ecology. These unique forests, found predominantly in the Mediterranean region, are home to a myriad of species and offer an array of environmental benefits. In this blog, we will explore the importance of cork forests and shed light on their significant contributions to ecological balance, climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, soil preservation, and socio-economic sustainability.

Sonus’ new speaker utilizes materials such as cork as dampening fill in the speaker’s central chassis. This, the Italian audio company notes, allows precise modeling; it limits internal resonances, and the cork is said to reduce the need for additional damping material inside the small cabinet to help significantly improve sound quality.