Why Cork
WHY WE CHOOSE CORK
We want to inspire people to make conscious choices that build a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with nature. We want to create awareness about the benefits of cork as a material for our everyday essentials.
Our plant leather collection is made using the finest fabric from cork, harvested respecting the natural cycle of the cork oak trees. Cork is a vegan, renewable and sustainable material. It is durable, light-weight, water and dirt repellent and ages with grace. It is as flexible as leather and versatile as textile.
The lining in our cork leather consists of 65% polyester (PES) and 35% cotton. Polyester makes the products more durable. We are constantly working with our partners to find even more sustainable solutions, such as increasing the use of recycled polyester and organic cotton. Our cork fabric is PETA approved VEGAN, CRUELTY-FREE, material. Only water-based glue and vegetable dye in black cork products are used in manufacturing of the cork fabric to minimize the presence of harmful chemicals.
We value proper sources of information — all the statements are validated, and based on research results.
Read more from Audubon article by Susan McGrath (contributor also to Smithsonian, and
National Geographic). www.fao.org/forestry.
Read more from WWF article. wwfeu.awassets.panda.org
HARVESTING CORK
Our plant leather collection is made using the finest fabric from cork, harvested from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) -certified cork forests in Portugal, respecting the natural cycle of the cork oak trees.
A cork tree is harvested, not cut down. The cork oak tree can be stripped from its bark every 9-12 years. The harvesting process does not harm the tree; On the contrary, a harvested cork oak tree absorbs up to five times more CO2 – a greenhouse gas that causes climate change – than a non-harvested one. Harvested trees live longer, up to three centuries.
Cork oak trees in Portugal alone help offset 10 million tons of carbon every year.
This important source of livelihood in the rural areas is a profession for the patient. It takes at least 25 years for the first harvest – interlinking the environment with centuries and generations.
GOLD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Cork is called the Gold of Portugal. The cork oak forests are the lungs of the environment, the economy and the society of the Mediterranean countries. Because of their crucial role for nature and the people, they are protected by law. As plastic is replacing cork in many of its traditional uses (for example wine bottle stoppers), it is crucial to find new uses for this material. By choosing to work with cork, we support the traditional source of livelihood and biodiversity of the cork oak woodlands.
Cork oak trees belong to pyrophytes or ‘fire plants’ as their thick bark creates a protective barrier against fire and heat. The cork oak tree grows one strong main root deep in the ground and a network of more shallow roots, binding nutrients into the soil and protecting the landscape from erosion. The benefits extend to the whole forest and to the rich animal life living in it.
