For centuries Cork Oaks (Sobreiros) have been admired for their spongy tree bark, offering a durable, pliable, water and oil resistant material.
The cork oak bark harvested from these Sobreiros is consumed entirely in product manufacturing with nothing going to waste.
The traditional handcraft of the debarking process of the Sobreiro prolongs the life of the tree for up to 300 years.
Without debarking the Sobreiro would atrophy and die. The debarking cycle is 9 years, after the tree turns 25-40 depending on the tree and its locale and weather patterns it has been exposed to over its years.
In Portugal there are 18 million acres of Cork Oak forests known as “Montados” which have been protected by local law from felling for countless generations. In 2001 this law was reaffirmed when the Sobreiro was officially proclaimed the Portuguese national tree, a treasure that deserves to be shared with local and global generations to come.
Ecologically sound and environmentally friendly, cork is a unique and sustainable primary material that is elegant and versatile, sensually tactile, visually desirable, and infinitely rematerializing without a negative environmental footprint.
The Montados provide a unique habitat for fauna and flora native to the Iberian peninsula. It also prevents erosion of local lands and desertification of Southern Europe
Without caring management of the Montados many species of fauna and flora which are currently endangered would perish.
Supporting the cork industry is of great importance for the environment, the animals and plants which depend on it and the many thousands of families who depend on it for their lively hood.
On an environmental level cork holds more carbon dioxide than timber, and will only release the CO2 if the cork is powdered and incinerated.
It is a natural alternative to animal leather and is often referred to as “cork-leather”.
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