“For Cork Supply, sustainability is at the core of
who we are and how we do business.”
Jochen Michalski
Download our Sustainability report here.
Of Waste Produced
Cork dust to energy recovery
Renewable Energy Consumption
Countries with commercial activity
We align ourselves with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of having a better impact on the local communities and economies of the countries we operate in.
To ensure that we have a global strategy that is in alignment with other global entities and truly impactful, we use the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the base for our strategy. Every and any action that we develop is associated to one, or more, of the UN’s SDGs.
At Cork Supply we understand that Operations management plays an important role in delivering positive results. In 2012 Cork Supply initiated a LEAN Roadmap towards Operational Excellence. This Long-term thinking is transforming the organization into a LEAN company focused on the principles of respect for people and society, continuous improvement, and process improvement.
As a company with a global scale we have an even larger responsibility to care for the future.
Today, in everything that we do, we are focused on being better in these core areas where we can have a more significant impact.
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 :
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:
Cork Supply is aware of the importance of preservation of cork oak forests. Not directly owning cork forests, Cork Supply maintains close and strategic relationship with cork forest owners in Portugal and Spain, building lasting partnerships based on trust, shared knowledge, and quality.
We consider it an essential part of our mission to ensure we meet our generation's needs today in a manner that does not compromise our future generations' ability to meet their needs tomorrow.
Cork Supply is aware of the importance of environmental preservation and commitment to minimize the company footprint. The team continually assesses and improves their environmental practices, so they address both inbound and outbound impacts.
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.
In order to reduce our greenhouse gase emissions, we employ two key measures with direct impact. Firstly, we prioritize the reduction of energy consumption by conducting energy audits to identify critical areas of intervention with a particular focus on energy efficiency. Secondly, we actively invest in a transition to renewable energy sources by producing renewable electricity in our facilities.
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
Cork Supply has installed a high-efficiency corkwood boiler system that optimizes both heat energy and water usage. After each batch of corkwood is boiled, heated wastewater gravitates to a holding tank, where a heat exchanger transfers the heat energy from the wastewater to a new batch of clean water. Water use is simultaneously maximized via continuous high-pressure filtration and recycling of boiling water through a steam condensation collection and purging system that prevents cross-contamination between batches.
With the goal of minimizing our contribution to Climate Change, Cork Supply has defined numerous action plans and targets with respect to energy reduction : - 18% energy reduction by 2024 in the technical cork production unit. - 5% energy reduction by 2026 in the natural cork production plant. - Renewable energy alternatives in place at the technical cork production unit by 2023. - The use of cork dust as a source of energy by 2023.
Million Natural and Technical Cork Stoppers
Million Bartops
We are committed to:
Our complete portfolio of cork closures results from the efficient use of all cork materials. The recovery rate of all cork materials confirms the value added to by-products, integrating diverse production cycles (natural corks, discs, technical corks), and demonstrates how we are dedicated to the efficient use of the raw materials.
The result of our carbon footprint study clearly shows the cork CONTRIBUTION TO CARBON NEUTRALITY.
The study shows a very low impact in Carbon Emissions, and when we consider the cork oak forest as Carbon sink System, we can Cleary show that the extraction ok corkwood actively contributes to carbon sequestration and neutrality.
Montado Carbon Sink of 7,7 to 14 ton (CO2)/ ha / year.
We developed Vinc Natura, a new technical cork that eliminates the need for synthetic materials, by utilizing a 100% plant-based polyol as an alternative to the traditional polyurethane-based glue – launched in 2023.
In 2022, Cork Supply introduced Bloom by Talis, an innovative bartop capsule solution for spirits and fortified wines. This capsule material is produced by combining a biobased polymer with cork granules, that are a by-product from our own production facilities transformed into a key component of this new product.
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:
Nationalities Worldwide
Hours of training per person
Non-profit organizations supported
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.
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.
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
Cork Supply will begin training people, from local communities, in specific jobs/roles that are becoming harder to find experienced people to work in. This enables Cork Supply to pass on industry knowledge and experience, while helping improve unemployment in rural areas.
As a part of our sustainability strategy, we have set a Zero Accident goal to be achieved in 2025. Concrete goals for each of the three years have been created and are aligned with our will to provide and maintain a healthy and safe work environment for our employees.
WE CARE is aimed at promoting corporate well-being and an organizational culture that prioritizes the health, safety and quality of life of our employees. Through this program, all employees can participate in structured and planned activities for enhancing their well-being related to mind, body, sleep and nutrition. With these activities, our goal is to further involve employees and strengthen their commitment to Cork Supply and support them whenever they want to make improvements in their lifestyle.
In 2022, we engaged in partnerships with several stakeholders, that provide the possibility for experience and knowledge sharing, participated in collaborative work on the topics mentioned above, as well as others that affect the industry, becoming an active participant in the sustainability agenda. Cultivate experience and knowledge sharing.