From bottle stoppers to rockets: How Portugal is reinventing cork

Portugal produces around half of the world’s cork. Here, the world’s largest cork company, Corticeira Amorim, continues to open new markets by transforming this ancient natural resource into high-tech materials. In this report, we explore its methods, from harvesting to production. Work begins at dawn in Corticeira Amorim’s cork oak forests. Cork harvesting takes place between late May and August, and much of it is still done by hand. “On average a tree can produce for 170 years, 200 years more or less, giving us 15 to 17 extractions.” explains Carlos Abreu, from the Communication Department at Amorim Florestal. A cork oak takes at least nine years to regenerate its bark, and around 25 before it can be harvested for the first time. These long timeframes are difficult to reconcile with the needs of small and medium-sized producers who account for 90% of Amorim’s suppliers. “With our initiatives in our forests, we are trying to show to other landowners that is possible to manage the forest differently and to have a good income.” Says Nuno Oliveira, Forestry Director at Amorim Florestal. The Rio Frio estate showcases Amorim’s latest innovations. One of the world’s largest human-planted cork oak forests, it serves as an open-air laboratory. Here, researchers are testing ways to speed up the first harvest, select the best plants and increase productivity without disrupting the ecosystem. Healthy trees also produce better quality cork. Harvesting is only the first step. An even more complex challenge is turning this raw material into an ever-expanding range of products. I travel to northern Portugal, to Amorim’s historic factories, where cork enters one of the world’s most advanced industries. Founded as a family business in 1870, Amorim is now a multinational company with around 4,000 employees, operating in more than 100 countries and generating over €1 billion in annual revenue. Today, cork is used in over 30 industries, from construction and insulation to flooring and sealing systems. Aerospace is among the fastest-growing sectors and also one of the most protected by industrial secrecy. But in the showroom, you can get your hands on these high-tech materials. Eduardo Soares, Innovation & Business Development Director, shows me one of their flagship products. “P50, one of our best-known materials, which is essentially a cork composite, a thermal protection shield that is used in multiple stages of a launcher device, so whenever there is a need for protection from the heat.” Amorim says it has invested over €90 million in research and development over the past 10 years. That high-tech approach has also transformed its core business: cork stoppers. The company declared long ago that it defeated TCA, the compound behind cork taint, which can spoil wine. For Portugal, cork is more than a business. It is part of the country’s natural and cultural heritage. Finding new ways to use it also means keeping that heritage alive.