Cork Supply controls vertically integrated operations, from Forest to Bottle, to ensure that its cork closures are of the best quality. Our specialized team of forestry professionals in Portugal work with producers from the main cork oak forest regions in both Portugal and Spain, implementing advanced forest management programs and selecting the best quality raw material for their corks.

We are strongly committed to the use of resources more efficiently, thus minimizing the environmental impacts of our activity reducing our emissions. We have a daily focus on :

• Minimizing the environmental impacts of our activities - the mitigation and adaptation to climate changes, the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems and pollution prevention.
• Fostering a sustainable management of the value chain, which implies the sustainable use of resources.
• Assessing the possibility of implementing environmental improvements, whenever there are changes in processes, people, and products.

“Cork Supply promotes, enhances and enables forests that are important natural CO2 sinks"

As a leading supplier of natural cork, we want our customers and consumers to have complete assurance that natural corks supplied by Cork Supply are sustainably and ethically sourced. We consider our proactive role in this area especially necessary because, as the WWF verifies, montado cork forests:

• support one of the world's highest levels of forest biodiversity, including the highest diversity of plants found anywhere the world.
• offer irreplaceable sanctuary to millions of wintering birds, and vital habitat for a native wildlife population that includes several highly endangered bird and animal species.
• provide an essential, sustainable income source that supports local industry, traditional cultures, and family livelihoods.
• function as massive carbon sinks, naturally sequestering and providing critical long-term storage for the dangerous atmospheric carbon greenhouse gasses (GHG) that impact climate change.
• play a key role in critical ecological processes, including water retention, fire prevention and soil conservation.
• defend European landscapes against creeping desertification and consequent depopulation, poverty and loss of vital ecological biodiversity.
• are one of the best examples of balanced conservation and development anywhere in the world.

A living lab to study the regeneration of Montado in the Alentejo.

Cork Supply is proud to be part of the Montado Living-Lab initiative, a project dedicated to regenerating the Montado ecosystem in Alentejo and managing soil health. From an environmental perspective, the Montado region is a vital source of high-quality food, fiber, and various ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, water storage, soil erosion prevention, fire protection, biodiversity conservation, and habitat for pollinators. On the economic front, the Montado plays a significant role in preventing rural migration to urban areas and is a substantial contributor to the Portuguese economy, with cork exports amounting to billions.

Consortiums like Montado Living-Lab aim to achieve this by fostering enduring partnerships based on trust and transparency. These partnerships bring together key stakeholders, including farmers, multidisciplinary research teams, government institutions, and industry representatives like Cork Supply. The ultimate goal is to improve Montado soil health, restore tree cover, and create more resilient business models for both farmers and industries.

“Zero waste is one of Cork Supply’s sustainability goals.“

Cork Supply has set zero waste as one of our sustainability goals and is proactive in seeking to eliminate and reuse the by-products resulting from our operations. In addition to making energy-efficiency and waste-reducing improvements and investments throughout our operations, we seek to reuse and recycle wherever possible.

Targeting our two main production inputs — corkwood and water — Cork Supply has developed closed-loop systems to optimize material and energy waste in both cases.

Today, virtually 100% of harvested corkwood can be reutilized. Therefore, at every stage from the forest onward, Cork Supply has developed closed-loop systems to capture all excess and sub-grade corkwood by-products. Cork Supply has installed a centralized vacuum system throughout our production facilities to capture this cork dust before it reaches the air. This also creates a cleaner, healthier work environment. We have begun to substitute the use of natural gas and electricity by biomass. The result of this is 535,6 ton of CO2eq p/year that are not released into the atmosphere

We are committed to:

• Producing products that comply with global regulations and are safe for food contact.
• Promoting Circular Economy by using 100% the of the raw material.
• Leveraging the rich and naturally environmentally friendly products our forests provide us with.
• Developing environmentally friendly technologies, processes, products, and packaging materials.
• Producing products that are an added value to customers, meeting real market needs, with the highest quality possible.
• Investing heavily in R&D and QC to give our customers real guarantees.

The Naturally Sustainable Option

• Zero Waste!
• Use 100% of the raw material we purchase;
• Produce products that comply with global regulations and are safe for food contact;
• Produce products with the least impact;
• Leverage the rich and naturally environmentally friendly products our forests provide us with.
• Promote Circular Economy.

At Cork Supply, we have integrated all relevant management systems to meet the highest quality
and control standards, enhancing the excellence of our portfolio in the market.

We highlight the most important certifications in this context:

Our Employees are our Heart & Soul

Everywhere we set up operations, we look to become an integral part of the community and play a socially active and relevant role.

We know that we can make a difference and we work with that purpose: through the creation of direct and indirect jobs, enhancing local economies, being actively involved in social development projects, and through the environmental management of our activities.

We know that our employees are the heart and soul of Cork Supply’s success. We believe that keeping a health and safe workplace, improving our people skills and education, while promoting a good balance between work and personal life are essential to our strategic development.

The company recognizes the importance of diversity and gender equality, promotes the inclusion and non-discrimination of all employees, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, disability and / or individual sexual orientation, guaranteeing all workers equal conditions and opportunities.

Cork Supply promotes gender equality for every function, including an equal pay policy for equal work. Cork Supply also integrates people with special needs through collaboration with social institutions contracting collaborators for specific functions.

Commitment with Local Communities

We have been collaborating regularly with around 20 social institutions in Europe, in the United States and South Africa.

In fulfilment with out citizenship commitment, Cork Supply continues to promote and support social initiatives, aiming to integrate social responsibility into its culture. Aware that attention to others starts within the organization and extends abroad, social responsibility has been integrated in the Company’s strategy and culture, having contributed to social solidarity actions, Programs and Projects.

As part of our commitment to citizenship, Cork Supply remains dedicated to supporting social initiatives, driving a culture that embraces social responsibility.

In 2022, we created Beyond Us (to be launched in 2023) – a program designed to centralize and organize our charitable donations and volunteer efforts for institutions that assist the vulnerable population and address
social needs. By supporting non-profit organizations that align with our company’s values and mission, we can make a meaningful impact on the community.

When selecting institutions to support, we research the organization to ensure that our contributions are used effectively to create a positiv change.

14 Non-profit organizations supporteds:

Bago d’Ouro

Associação Salvador

Enlazados program of Mendoza government

Empujar Foundation in Mendoza

Adopt a Drain – City of Benicia

Highland Elementary School in Vallejo – California

Solano County Food Bank

Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro

Abrigo para a Vida

Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Mãe Solteira

Ukrainian Refugees Donation

Liga dos Amigos do Hospital Sto António

BUS

Unicef

Bombeiros Voluntários de Lourosa

Residência Velhinhos

Irmãzinhas Pobres