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.

“We are now receiving a great deal of positive feedback,” Mr Amorim said.

“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 quality control no longer dominated meetings with winemakers or industry leaders and discussions moved on to other matters quite quickly.

“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,” he said.

Mr Amorim said the increasing level of media commentary on sustainability issues had led to greater awareness of the environmental qualities of natural cork and had provided opportunities to reaffirm the advances made in cork quality.

In recent times, major media outlets — including The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine in the US, The Daily Telegraph newspaper and BBC television in the UK, and The Australian Financial Review — have explored the important role that cork plays in sustainable development.

“There has certainly been renewed interest in natural cork on environmental grounds from within the wine industry and also by the community,” Mr Amorim said.

Several leading retail chains and many of the world’s largest wineries are now demonstrating their commitment to natural cork by actively participating in cork recycling and forest management programs.

The response to consumer programs such as Amorim’s ‘Save Miguel’ campaign, and recycling initiatives like ReCork America and the Green Cork Program also shows there is strong community support for natural packaging.

“Amorim must continue to take a leadership role within the cork industry on sustainable development,” Mr Amorim said.

“We will invest in sustainability initiatives and at the same time will retain our heavy investment in cork research and development.”

And that robust investment, now reaching 60 million euros, is paying off in several ways.

In 2008 Amorim recorded a 4.5 per cent increase in cork stopper sales despite the impact of the economic slowdown in the last quarter. This result was achieved on top of the company’s best-ever performance in 2007, when annual sales of wine stoppers increased more than 6 per cent.

It is also evident in the growing demand for new products such as high-end FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified corks and Acquamark natural stoppers. In the past year, Amorim, the first packaging company in the world to obtain FSC certification, has sold almost 10 million FSC stoppers, while Acquamark has attracted 100 new winery clients just months after its global launch.

“We still have work to do, but today we can be positive about the future of natural cork and Amorim’s ability to meet the changing needs of the global wine industry,” Mr Amorim said.