There are about 2,200,000 hectares of cork forest
worldwide; 34% in Portugal and 27% in Spain. Annual production
is about 200,000 tons; 49.6% from Portugal, 30.5% from Spain, 5.8% from Morocco,
4.9% from Algeria,
3.5% from Tunisia,
3.1% Italy, and 2.6% from France.
Once the trees are about 25
years old the cork is traditionally stripped from the trunks every nine years,
with the first two harvests generally producing lower quality cork. The trees
live for about 300 years.
The cork industry is generally
regarded as environmentally friendly. Cork
production is generally considered sustainable because the cork tree is not cut down
to obtain cork; only the bark is stripped to harvest the cork. The tree continues to live and grow.
The sustainability of production and the easy recycling of cork products and by-products are
two of its most distinctive aspects. Cork Oak forests also prevent desertification and are a particular habitat in the Iberian
Peninsula and the
refuge of various endangered species.
Carbon
footprint studies
committed by Corticeira
Amorim, Oeneo Bouchage of France and the Cork Supply Group of
Portugal concluded that cork is the most environmentally friendly wine stopper in comparison to other alternatives.
The Corticeira
Amorim’s study, in particular ("Analysis of the life cycle of
Cork, Aluminum and Plastic Wine Closures"), was developed by Price water house Coopers, according to ISO
14040. Results concluded that,
concerning the emission of greenhouse gases, each plastic stopper released 10
times more CO2,
whilst an aluminum stopper releases 26 times more CO2 than does a cork stopper.
The Cork Oak is unrelated to
the "cork trees" (Phellodendron),
which have corky bark but are not used for cork production.
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