Most people know that wine corks are special. When removed from a bottle, those little cylinders of natural material look too good to throw in the trash. But corks can be recycled, and a new cork recycling program, ReCORK, accepts corks through a network of public collection partners across North America.
Recock Years of research and development transform cork into an amazing new material. ReCORK Recycled cork. Although this material flexes, flexes, and cushions like synthetic foam, the environmental impact of foam made from petrochemicals is only a fraction of that of the foam we commonly see. You can find your nearest ReCORK store here: recork.com/locations
Inspired by 75-year-old natural cork floors.
ReCORK is a shoe company founded in 2008. bottom piece, Since its launch in 2001, the company has been making aftermarket insoles for shoes. The company was founded to provide pain relief and injury prevention to customers through an affordable alternative to prescription orthotics. In the mid-2000s, founder Mike Baker decided to make the brand a positive impact not only on the lives of customers, but also on the planet.
Baker spent weekends at a beach house with family and friends during this time. During the weekend, he was inspired by the cork floor of the house. It felt good underfoot, kept out the cold, and was in amazing condition despite the fact that the house was 75 years old. Baker began to research cork more and what he learned inspired him even more.
The incredible sustainability of natural cork.
Cork is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees every 9 to 12 years without cutting down the tree. Regularly harvesting bark can actually extend a tree’s lifespan from about 75 years to over 200 years. Harvesting also stimulates a tree’s carbon consumption to increase by up to five times (source).
Cork trees are harvested by hand using skilled techniques passed down through generations. These Cork farmers grow and protect the trees, which in turn provide important habitat for numerous endangered species. The cork industry is a fantastic example of traditional sustainable land use.
After learning about cork, Baker and the SOLE team decided to use this amazing material in their footwear. They launched ReCORK to collect and recycle used natural wine corks, extending the life of the precious material that would otherwise be wasted. Over the years, ReCORK has collected over 132 million corks for recycling.
We use recycled cork in shoes and other products.
The shoe industry emits 700 million kilograms of greenhouse gases annually. 1.4% of global climate impact. Much of this is due to the carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based foam used in the midsoles of many sneakers. Cork can replace foam, and in addition to being sustainable, it has many properties that make it perfect for use in SOLE’s orthopedic insoles and shoes. It is naturally lightweight and has excellent insulation properties, Anti-bacterial, anti-rot and shock-absorbing.
The use of cork in footwear is nothing new. There is an established precedent for making cork composites that provide some level of durability. These materials traditionally use crushed cork, mixed with synthetic binders and flexing agents such as latex. Most use relatively small amounts of cork, usually less than 50%. ReCORK recycled cork is overwhelmingly steel cork, at over 75%.
SOLE uses recycled cork in its line of insoles and sandals, but for all its advantages, natural cork has one major limitation. This means they are brittle and will break under stress. Since shoes are naturally subject to many dynamic forces, the brittleness of cork poses a serious obstacle to possible applications. To truly unleash the potential of cork in footwear, this brittleness had to be overcome. It also breaks down when exposed to water on a regular basis.
This need led the ReCORK R&D team to innovate a completely new way to handle cork. Their recycling process grinds up cork and recombines it using patented technology to create unique new materials. ReCORK Recycled Cork bends, flexes and recovers. It is lightweight and has excellent cushioning properties. Provides all the functional strengths of synthetic foams such as PU and EVA. It is also water resistant.
This material is SOLE’s latest product from earlier this year. Jasper Chuka. While footwear was the initial focus, the potential applications for ReCORK recycled cork are nearly endless. ReCORK hopes to maximize its positive impact by replacing synthetic foams in consumer goods across a wide range of industries.
Help ReCORK set a new standard for sustainable materials by recycling cork.
Find your local cork collection point and bring your natural cork! Don’t have a collection point in your area? Any organization can join a public collection partner to collect corks and deliver them to ReCORK. Suggest a subscription to your local liquor store or grocery store, or sign up with your office building.
You can also suggest to your local pub or restaurant that they join our Private Collection Partners. These partners do not collect from the public, but send the natural corks they use during their regular business to ReCORK.
About the author
Paul Maughan-Brown is a word expert, a press release and product description expert, and a blog post and banner mantra expert. bottom piece.
