Why cork?

Did you know? Cork is a very precious natural material that is obtained from the bark of a tree called cork oak, an evergreen, long-lived plant which grows in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

This tree has a double bark: the internal one is called “mother” and it’s composed of fibrous and very fine tissues in which the sap flows, which has the property of generating a soft, elastic, light and spongy material: cork. This material is the result of a millennial adaptation of cork trees at risk of dehydration, very frequent in torrid Mediterranean summers. In fact, its composition guarantees waterproofing on one side and on the other a good thermal insulation, which makes the plant fire resistant. It also has countless human friendly feature: it’s anti-mite, biodegradable, non-toxic, odorless, tasteless and with very high absorption potential for carbon dioxide.

Decortication can take place every nine, ten years, when the dead cells of which cork is made are no longer indispensable for survival of the plant and would even help it to strengthen and regenerate.

The main application of cork is in the production of bottle caps, but about ⅓ of its application concerns construction to insulate walls and ceilings, the aerospace industry for the production of spacecraft components and finally the textile sector for the production of accessories, bags and shoes. And here I am to tell you how the Gioie di Carol project was born.