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3000 BCE
Cork as a resource
The cork used for wine bottles, flooring, insulation, and even the aerospace industry as well as other products comes from the bark of a Cork Oak (Quercus Suber L.). This tree is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa and can be found as a fossil In the Mediterranean basin dating back to the Tertiary period. It is a resource because it is used to widely in all facets of modern society. cork was first used in fishing tackle in china 3000 BC -
Are all resources natural capital?
not all resources are natural capital because it takes time for the resources to replenish. Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree and it takes from 7-12 years for the bark to regrow and be ready to harvest again. the tree first has to be at least 25 years old already before it can be harvested for the first time. therefore supply may not keep up with high demand. António Alves de Amorim set up a factory production of cork stoppers, this was the first factory used to create cork materials -
Over time, has this resource been used sustainably? How has this changed over time?
This resource has been used sustainably because you are able to harvest the cork bark without cutting down the tree and the cork will grow back. there is a lot of care it takes to nurture these trees until adulthood. the almost the entire time cork has been used for products, it has been used sustainably due to this unique characteristic of bark Portugal is the world's biggest cork producer . about 80% of cork production is exported as raw material and is processed in other countries. -
What is sustainability?
sustainability is the ability for something to continue/ endure. such as reproduce and sustain life. the cork tree has been able to reproduce and continue to produce bark that humans are able to collect since 3000 BC to this day without risk of scarcity -
What factors have impacted this resource (cultural, social, economic, environmental, technological, and/or political)
many countries such as Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, France, Italy and Tunisia grow the worlds supply of Cork and ship it to other countries to be manufactured into products. therefore Cork is economically important because it dominates their outputs. Cork is an environmentally safe resource because it is biodegradable, , therefore there is no politically charged debates about whether to produce cork Foundation of Ipocork's entry into the parquet and flooring market. -
Is your example renewable or non-renewable?
Only the bark is extracted, and a new layer of cork regrows, making it a renewable resource. Cork oaks are considered to be soil builders and their fruits have been shown to have useful insecticidal properties. Therefore not only the material itself is renewable but it also supports biodiversity and positively impacts the quantity of the environment around it. The farms grow forage plants under the cork trees and grazed by cattle during the summer therefore supporting the ecosystem -
How has the extraction, transport, and processing of this resource changed it’s sustainability?
the processes used to turn cork into products does not affect its sustainability because the bark is able to regrow. everything after the cork is extracted does not affect the tree any longer other than slightly reducing its lifespan ( which is 200 years). using Cork is a great idea because for every ton of cork produced, cork oak forests captures and stores up to 73 tons of CO2 which lessen the effect of its transport on the environment
