Sharifa Jamaldin Cork is an ecological and sustainable fabric that is ideal for accessories.
At this early stage of designing with cork, the aesthetic decision taken by early adopters has been quite classical or naturalistic in approach, colours selected giving off a kind of terracotta effect. Recent fabric designs using darker colours are starting to appear on the market.
Is Cork fabric sustainable?
The cork industry is generally considered to be environmentally friendly and its production is considered to be generally sustainable, as the tree “only” bark is removed to harvest the cork. To make the harvest even more environmentally friendly, cork is only harvested from the beginning of May until the end of August, as the cork can be separated from the tree more easily and gently at this time.
When the aged tree is removed after 200 years of life, two new seedlings are planted in its place to ensure that the cork forest continues to thrive and expand. The cork oak also proliferates naturally by dropping acorns that sow themselves and mature into productive trees. The tree lives and grows. Furthermore, the cork products can be easily recycled due to natural production without chemicals.
Furthermore, in a study by Corticeira Amorim shows greenhouse gases from artificial material release 10 times more CO2.
Of course it is fundamentally sustainable if the tree reproduces the cork again every 9 years and lives up to 300 years. However, although the cork is gently cut from the trees, I see the harvest as quite a strain on the trees and quite a bit of intervention in nature. The tree needs 9-13 years to rebuild its protective layer, which protects it from drying out, fungus and insects, to then be harvested again.
Trees are not cut down. Cork trees can live to be 300 years old. Cork forests grow in Portugal, Spain, as well as on a smaller scale in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, and France around the Mediterranean Sea. The best part is cork forests support biodiversity, second to the rainforests of the Amazon in supporting life.
How expensive is it you ask? The cost of cork is around 20 euros per meter retail.
Resources and Credits:
Text Sharifa Jamaldin
Location: Captain Cork, Antwerpen https://www.captaincork.be/
First published October 8, 2020 Sharifa Jamaldin