The Sustainability of the Cork Sector Through a Second Life of Retired Wine Bottle Corks: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Cork is a very important vegetal resource for mankind and is being used in Egypt for numerous applications from the third millennium BC. Portugal is the world’s largest producer of cork and its derivatives, being wine bottle corks the most used application for this type of resource, both in the domestic and in the foreign markets.Since the usage of corks in wine bottling is mostly a one-time use, a substantial part of corks will end in the domestic waste. Consequently, large amounts of used cork will have landfill as final destination. The aim of this research is to explore how this type of residue can be reused after being removed from wine bottles. The research methodology used is mixed, dealing especially with a case study carried out by APCOR (Portuguese Cork Industry Association) and statistical data on the evolution of the production/processing of the raw material. The actual results point out that several attempts were made to change the social behavior of citizens to dispose properly this type of residue and avoid landfill, but with no credible success. To reverse this situation, the authors proposed a model to increase the collection of used corks through the active participation of society, especially some sensitive areas, namely primary/secondary schools and fire brigades. This research in this chapter is original, as the actual literature doesn’t refer to wine bottle corks reuse. Furthermore, this research topic can be used as a base of discussion with cork producers, government, and the academy aiming to increase sustainability and reusage.