‘Save Miguel’ wins at Oenovideo festival
Amorim’s innovative ‘Save Miguel’ video has won two prestigious awards at Oenovideo — the International Grape and Wine Film Festival. The production was awarded ‘Best Original Screenplay’ and collected the ‘Peoples’ Choice Award’. Almost 100 films were entered in the 2009 competition.
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Third Sustainability Report released
The world’s leading producer of natural cork products, Corticeira Amorim, has released its third Sustainability Report, providing details of a series of important environmental initiatives undertaken throughout 2008. The report confirms the company’s strategic commitment to sustainable development.
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Corticeira Amorim 2008 Sustainability Report (8.9 MB)

No stone unturned in quest for quality
Pago de Vallegarcía owner Alfonso Cortina de Alcocer has left no stone unturned in his efforts to develop a winery of outstanding quality. In fact, it appears as though the stones unearthed during construction have been artistically deployed in the stunning architect-designed building that sits in the middle of the vineyard.

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Amorim showcases cork innovations in China
Amorim has showcased the latest innovations in cork technology at two keenly attended technical seminars in China. Staged in Beijing and Yantai, the seminars were attended by senior personnel from a large number of wineries along with other representatives of the Chinese wine industry.
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Amorim on 'the drinks business' green top 50
Amorim is the only closure supplier in a global 'top 50' ranking of companies with strong environmental influence, released by major UK drinks trade publication 'the drinks business'. Amorim was acknowledged for its commitment to forest preservation, biodiversity and land stewardship
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Acquamark ^® – natural cork coated in technology
Acquamark®, a natural cork stopper manufactured with cutting-edge technology, is the latest product from Amorim, the world leader in wine stoppers. Environmentally-friendly, the Acquamark® cork is extracted from fully renewable natural sources before undergoing technically-rich processing to deliver superior performance in sealing capacity and wine preservation. It is also fully recyclable and biodegradable. Find out more at www.acquamark.com

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Research validates cork’s green credentials
The environmental benefits of natural cork stoppers over alternative wine closures have been highlighted in an independent life cycle analysis released by Corticeira Amorim. The PricewaterhouseCoopers study found that carbon dioxide emissions — a key factor in global warming — resulting from the life cycle of a screwcap are 24 times higher than a natural cork stopper, while a plastic stopper is responsible for 10 times more CO2 than a natural cork.
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2008 Amorim Life Cycle Analysis Final Report (1 MB)
2008 Amorim Life Cycle Analysis Presentation (1.3 MB)
2008 Amorim Life Cycle Analysis Presentation [French] (1.6 MB)

‘Save Miguel’ wins global appeal
An innovative educational campaign promoting the environmental qualities of cork oak forests and natural cork products has secured a strong global presence. The ‘Save Miguel’ campaign — which features an educational website and online video — has reached hundreds of thousands of consumers worldwide.

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FSC accreditation extended
Amorim continues to build on its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditations under the stringent Rainforest Alliance Smartwood Program with four cork processing business units and two sales operations now holding ‘chain-of-custody’ certification.
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Direct Wines supports cork
Direct Wines, the world’s largest independent wine merchant, has entered into a partnership with Amorim that will see dozens of new cork oaks planted each year in Portuguese forests. Amorim will plant the cork oaks on behalf of Laithwaites — one of several Direct Wines brands.
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Cork interior for future Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its vision for a future luxurious touring sedan and one of the features of the stunning F 700 concept car is a cork interior. Cork is undergoing a renaissance in commercial applications with many companies turning to the unique natural material for a wide range of products.

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Tackling climate change
The former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, has urged the wine industry to tackle climate change. Delivering the keynote address at the World Congress of Climate Change & Wine, Mr Gore spoke passionately about the impact of carbon dioxide on the planet and the environmental challenges facing the wine industry.
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Spark One unveiled
Amorim has added a new high performance cork stopper for sparkling wine to its extensive product portfolio. Called Spark One, the innovative closure is designed for ‘everyday bubbles’.
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A sense of place
Widely regarded as producing some of Australia’s best shiraz, Jasper Hill winery and its founders Ron and Elva Laughton are this year celebrating the 25th anniversary of their first vintage. Their story, over two-and-a-half decades, is one of innovation, passion, adversity and ultimately, success.

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Giving forests a future
The environmental advantages of natural cork stoppers have long been known by cork producers. Now those advantages are being increasingly recognised by environmental organisations and the global wine industry.
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Cork hits back
After fighting an intense battle on behalf of natural cork closures for a decade, Amorim chairman and CEO António Amorim says he has seen across-the-board industry recognition of the value of cork as a wine seal over the past 18 months.

“Growing recognition of the green credentials of natural cork, coupled with the investment in research and development and quality control measures has seen a significant shift in the way natural cork is viewed within the wine industry.” Mr Amorim said.

“Winemakers supplying across all price points are interested in how cork can help them meet some of the crucial challenges facing the industry, such as building brand value and environmental sustainability.”

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Related Material

Dan motivates Antonio, Australia's Wine Business Magazine, February 2008

Taint-free wine corks help Amorim take on screwcaps, Bloomberg, June 4, 2007

Interview with António Amorim, Corkfacts Web Extra, June 2005

Recycling effort grows
The recycling of natural cork is gaining momentum globally due to a groundswell of support for community-based cork recycling programs.

Growing environmental awareness has led to the development of many new recycling initiatives as well as an increase in the volume of corks being processed through long-standing programs.

Cork is too useful a material to be used only once and discarded, and many wine corks are now collected for recycling into a range of other cork products.

Natural cork is an environmentally-friendly material that completely biodegrades or can be readily recycled without creating any significant secondary wastes.

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