Cork results from the natural regeneration of the tissues of the cork oak tree, which allows it to be exploited sustainably and for a long period of time, every 9 years, for use in various industrial sectors.
The cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a tree of great longevity (250-350 years) coated with a plant tissue made up of hundreds of millions of cells, filled with a gas similar to air and whose cell walls are dominantly made up of polymers such as suberin (39,4% ± 1.7), lignin (24.0% ± 0.8) and polysaccharides (19.9% ± 2.6) with other extractive compounds such as ceroids, phenolic compounds (14.2% ± 1.1) and ash (1.2% ± 0.2) (Fortes et al., 2006). Cork has the properties of impermeability, longevity, elasticity and compressibility. These characteristics make cork, a natural 100% material, suitable for the production of natural closures with unique and unparalleled properties in the conservation and improvement of wines packaged in bottles (APCOR, 2015).
Cork results from the natural regeneration of the tissues of the cork oak tree, which allows it to be exploited sustainably and for an extended period of time, every 9 years, for use in various industrial sectors, such as the cork stopper industry, construction, textiles, transport, fashion, among others. Among the wide range of products, the most visible and profitable is the natural cork stopper as a wine bottle stopper, representing around 15% of the weight of total cork production and, in turn, around 2/3 of the market revenue (Mazzoleni et al., 2004). In addition to its national importance, the extraction of cork generates important income and jobs at a local and regional level in deserted regions in the interior of the country, and is therefore an important socio-economic factor.
Portugal has around 50% of the global value of cork production (APCOR, 2011) and cork products are one of the country's most valuable exports, with a share of approximately 2.2% of the gross domestic product. In addition to their socio-economic importance, cork oak forests also play a key ecological role in preventing desertification and maintaining biodiversity (Fortes et al., 2004).
Given the incredible evidence of the potential and applications of cork and the benefits of cork oaks for the ecosystems associated with them, the cork oak is a forest species protected by Portuguese legislation. Its environmental value has begun to be recognized internationally, so cork oak forests around the world, particularly in Portugal, are the target of a series of initiatives and activities aimed at protecting them and ensuring controlled exploitation with a view to sustainability.
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