Living Planet | 21.11.2008 | 00:30
Innovation Threatens Traditional Portuguese Cork Harvesting
The cork industry is generally regarded as environmentally friendly but now it is under threat.
The Cork Oak tree is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. The tree forms a thick, rough bark which can be harvested every 10 to 12 years as cork. The European cork industry produces 340,000 tonnes of cork a year. It is used as bottle stoppers for wine as well as in flooring and insulation. Yet this natural and renewable product is under threat, as the plastics industry makes inroads into the wine market. Living Planet found out more on a visit to Portugal, the largest producer of cork in the world.
(Report: Sylvia Smith)
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