"The Myth"

Guest blog by: Sonny Jelinek, VP Jelinek Cork Group

I talk (or think) about cork all day, everyday. I have for years. Explaining the process of the cork harvest and how the bark immediately begins to re-generate has always made me feel good. The tree isn't cut down and typically lives a full life of 200-500 years with a new cork bark harvest occurring more-or-less every 9 years. What a fantastic process! A fully sustainable natural material.

Cork extinction?
Why then, over the past few years have people started telling me that we should stop selling cork due to “a shortage” of cork? Over the weekend, at the Green Living Show in Toronto I talked to hundreds of people and time-and-again the question was the same: “isn't cork going extinct?” Some people were outright hostile accusing us of destroying the environment by promoting cork. I was waiting for picket signs to appear asking for a cork boycott.

In fact...
The reality is quite opposite. The environment will be harmed unless cork products are used. This goes back to the fact that cork is a renewable resource and the cork trees from which the product is harvested are not cut down. If cork products are not used the farmers who own the cork forests will be forced to either convert the forest for other agricultural uses or more likely to sell the land for property development. Cork trees that cover large areas of land in the Mediterranean region will be cut down if there is limited demand for cork products. This will destroy the carbon dioxide filtering function of the trees as well as the habitat. The World Wildlife Fund says that “cork oak forests support one of the highest levels of biodiversity among forest habitats, as well as the highest diversity of plants found anywhere in the world.” [1]

Why the myth:
Winemakers started using synthetic corks as well as screw caps in the 1990's. Some of this occurred at a time when there were forest fires in Portugal. Although forest fires are a natural part of any eco-system the combination of these two situations propagated a myth that there was a cork shortage. It is my belief that winemakers initially began using synthetic wine corks to reduce the incidence of cork taste that occasionally occurs in wines. Curiously, there have been studies that show that cork taint is still occurring despite the use of synthetic stoppers and screw caps. That means that it's coming from elsewhere [2]. As consumer acceptance of synthetic stoppers began to take hold, winemakers decided to take it a step further and add product cost reduction to the mix. Screw caps became a household reality. Screw caps are made from a metal top and plastic liner – a very synthetic alternative to a natural product. I find this ironic since most other industries are at least attempting to use more natural product packaging. Before 1990, nearly every wine bottle was closed with real cork. Since the innovation of the wine bottle real cork has been used to close billions of bottles of wine. Yet now, despite society's awareness of threats to the environment we are rejecting nature. As winemakers continue to embrace synthetic closures and screw caps the myth of a cork shortage or extinction continues to be propagated. Cork forests continue to be vibrant but face a threat. The solution to this threat is to use products made from cork. By using cork you are helping to preserve a most diverse and important habitat and making the world a better place in which to live.

Permission to reprint provided the author is credited and notified.

More information:

World Wildlife Fund
Audubon Society

Korek Jelinek plays football (soccer)?

Korek Jelinek in the Czech Republic is successful in more than just the field of cork. The Korek Jelinek football team is having a great season and a lot of fun too!

Trade shows and Presentations - Come see us!

We, at the Jelinek Cork Group, can often be found at trade shows displaying and discussing the benefits and many uses of cork. Whether a wine show in the Czech Republic, the Green Living show in Toronto, an interior design show in Vancouver or a building show in Slovakia, our booths nicely demonstrate our products. We currently have a booth at the Green Living Show in Toronto. Running from now until April 27, 2008.


We love to discuss cork and everything about cork. We're often found doing presentations for various groups either at our Oakville, Ontario showroom, The Cork House, or at meetings and conferences where we've been asked to present. Recently we had a group of Realtors at the Cork House for a presentation on cork and home decor. We discussed the importance of environmentally friendly products (such as cork flooring, cork wall coverings, and cork furniture) in home decorating. We love to "talk cork" so please contact us if you'd like to attend one of our seminars or arrange to have us come visit you.

Showrooms allow visitors to "experience" cork and all it offers.

For many people, cork used for anything besides bulletin boards and wine stoppers, is hard to imagine. Its understandable as who has ever heard of cork furniture or cork fabric? Even cork flooring, though its been around for decades, still flabbergasts some people. We get many questions at our showrooms about our cork products. For example, "Won't I put a hole in it if I walk on it?" or "Is that cork?". Visitors visiting for the first time are typically amazed and impressed by the products made from cork.

Though the Jelinek Cork headquarters in Oakville, Ontario has had a small showroom for decades, it was only in 2003 that The Cork House in Oakville opened. The Cork House, built in 1816 and restored to its original beauty when purchased by Jelinek, showcases a huge variety of cork products including but certainly not limited to: cork flooring, cork wall & ceiling coverings, cork purses & bags, cork furniture and cork gift items (coasters, placemats, hotpads, etc.).

We would also like to introduce the new retail shop and cork showroom for Korok Jelinek in Bratislava, Slovakia. This showroom opened on March 1, 2008 and is located in one of Bratislava's biggest shopping zones. The address is Roznavska street 1, Bratislava.

These showrooms allow the visitor to "touch & feel" cork products. You can walk on the floors, touch the walls, feel the different textures and see the various colors, styles and patterns. These showrooms also allow you to understand the characteristics and qualities of cork, such as shade variations, and may even provide you with new decor ideas - a sofa made of cork???

Cork and the Environment

Jelinek Cork Group will be exhibiting at the Green Living Show in Toronto, Ontario (April 25-27, 2008) so its a good time to discuss the green characteristics of cork - a sustainable, renewable and reusable natural resource.

The cork oak tree (Quercus suber) provides us with this 100% sustainable and renewable natural resource. Cork is the outer bark of this remarkable tree. The cork bark is harvested from the Quercus suber tree without damage to the tree. In its place, new bark begins to re-grow almost immediately. This harvesting does not harm the tree in any way and after about nine years the trees are ready for bark stripping once again. Harvesting of cork bark continues every 9-12 years until the tree is 150-200 years old.

The production of cork products creates very little waste. Natural cork wine stoppers are punched out of strips of cork bark. The "waste" of this production (the cork bark) is then ground up into cork grain. Cork grain is used to make many other cork products including cork flooring, cork wall tiles, cork underlayment, cork rolls, etc.

Used wine stoppers are also recyclable. They are collected and used to make various other products. Some are ground up into cork grain. Some are used for decorative arts & crafts projects. Some of the wine corks are cut into circles and used to create Jelinek Cork Mosaic flooring. The possibilities are endless.

Cork forests form another important aspect of the environment. These cork forests make up some of the most diverse farming in the world. These forests are home to many different plant and animal species including the Iberian lynx and black vultures. Many types of plants make these forests their home and exist because of these cork trees. Cork trees typically grow in a natural setting allowing a fair amount of the ecosystem to be preserved. We will discuss cork forests in more detail in a future posting.

So, as you read, cork is a sustainable, renewable and reusable natural product. The forests are an important part of our environment.

Some things about cork

Cork, the bark of the cork oak tree, is an amazing product. There is no other product, either man-made or created by nature, that has such unique characteristics.

Here are just a few:

1. Cork is light-weight and buoyant.
2. Cork is flexible. It is composed of cellular membranes which are flexible that's why its the perfect bottle stopper. Its great on floors and walls for this reason as well.
3. Cork is impermeable to gases and liquids.
4. Cork is insulating. The tiny cell-like compartments that compose cork provide for low conductivity to heat, sound and vibrations.
5. Cork is resistant to wear. In its natural state, cork is resistant to rot, does not absorb dust, and is fire resistant. It is very durable due to the honeycomb structure of cork.

Cork is good for maintaining the environment as well:

1. It is sustainable. Cork bark is harvested off trees without harming the tree. The tree continues to grow and produce more cork. The harvesting of cork is strictly regulated allowing the tree plenty of time to regrow the bark before the next harvest.
2. There is no waste. Cork stoppers are punched out of the bark of the tree. These stoppers are used as wine corks. The rest of the bark is ground up and used to form other cork products (ie. cork flooring, bulletin boards, cork underlayment, etc.)
3. It is reusable. Wine corks (and other cork material) can be reused. Once ground up into cork grain, it can be used to create many different products.