We have chosen Cork for our gifting bags alternatives, as its one of the most versatile, sustainable and renewable material if you want to to avoid leaving a negative footprint on the planet.
The harvesting and production of cork is not only sustainable, but it also serves to provide employment and economic purpose for many communities. Cork harvesting is an ancient tradition, using the same method for thousands of years.
It all starts in the forest. It doesn’t harm the tree, and the cork bark regrows. In fact, during regrowth, it absorbs up to 5 times more CO2 from the environment.
The year of harvest is marked on the trunk, so each tree isn’t harvested at the wrong time. Cork is a great insulating material, and gives these oaks a chance to survive the forest fires that occasionally happen in the hot Mediterranean summers.
After harvesting, the removed bark is dried in the sun, and handled differently depending on its use. Throughout the production process, absolutely nothing is wasted. All waste is returned to the production process, making cork harvesting and production one of the most sustainable business practices on the planet.