In addition to its ecological value, the cork oak is remarkable in that every part of the tree serves some useful economic purpose.

Here are a few examples:

• The acorn of the cork tree, as well as being used for propagation, is used as animal fodder and as a source of cooking oils;
• The leaves of the tree are used as fodder and a natural fertiliser;
• Tree prunings and decrepit trees provide firewood and charcoal.

Various chemical products are made from the tannins and natural acids contained within the wood.

Of course, the most valuable part of the tree is the bark, used for making myriad cork products.

More than 50 per cent of the cork bark goes into stoppers including natural wine corks, champagne corks, Twin Top® corks, bar-top corks for fortified wines and spirits, and small corks for other uses.

All of the cork bark is used in production — nothing is wasted. As cork waste is generated in the production process, it is granulated and returned into the process. Even the fine particles of cork dust are collected and used as fuel to heat the factory boilers

Bark from the tree's first two harvests (known as virgin and secondary bark) is used to make corkboard insulation and cork tiles.

Cork from the third and subsequent harvests (known as reproduction cork) is used for whole cork products, principally stoppers, and a range of granulated cork products, including noticeboards, gaskets, hockey and golf balls and floor tiles.

Some of these other applications for cork are described on the Amorim website.

Cork is also combined with rubber for gaskets, valves and insulation in buildings and railways. It is even found in the nose cone of NASA’s space shuttle.

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