The first references to cork date from 3000 BC in Egypt and Persia, where it was used in fishing gear. Its unique properties were also known to the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Phoenicians. During the classical Greek-Roman period, it was widely used in the construction of floats of various types, honeycombs, soles for shoes, and stoppers. It has been with wine that cork has had its strongest and most significant relationship. Ever since man came to produce and consume wine, cork has been the perfect material to seal the recipients used for its conservation – pitchers, barrels, bottles. The industrial use of cork on a large scale only began to take shape towards the end of the eighteenth century, stimulated by the increasing use of glass recipients in the packaging of wines.
People always ask me, “What is Cork”
Cork is the bark of the cork oak. It is a 100% natural plant tissue consisting of a hive of microscopic cells containing a gas identical to air and coated primarily with suberin and lignin. It has a range of applications associated with its attributes that no technology has yet managed to emulate, match, or exceed.
it is a 100% natural raw material that is 100% reusable and 100% recyclable, extracted from cork oaks without harming the normal development of the species and without damaging the tree. The extracted cork is 100% harnessed. Once processed into stoppers, for example, cork can also re-enter the production process. The cork stoppers can be recycled by shredding. The granules resulting from this process can be used in other products, such as shoes, cladding panels, and fishing buoys.