TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE - Amorim Cork

ISSUE 23 June 20082 SPARK ONE UNVEILED2 C O R K I N T E R I O R F O R F U T U R EMERCEDES3GLOBAL ACCLAIM FORSUSTAINABILITY REPORT3 W R A P S T U DY F O C U S E S O NCARBON EMISSIONS4 InbriefTACKLINGCLIMATECHANGE!"#$%&'(#'$)*+#$,'#-*.#/0$&%$0"#$1/*0#.$2030#-4$56$7&'#4$"3-$8'9#.$0"#$96&:36$;*/#$*/.8-0'

Amorim has introduced Spark Onefor ‘everyday bubbles’.SPARK ONEUNVEILEDAmorim has added a new highperformance cork stopper for sparklingwine to its extensive product portfolio.Called Spark One, the innovativeclosure is designed for ‘everyday bubbles’and was unveiled at the 22nd SIMEIexhibition in Milan, Italy.Staged biennially, SIMEI is the world’sbiggest oenological and bottlingequipment exhibition. Amorim Cork Italyestablished an impressive stand at theexhibition, portraying an exclusive clubwith a Spark One theme.Carlos Santos, the general manager ofAmorim Cork Italy, said more than 1000guests visited the Amorim stand wherethey enjoyed the opportunity to try specialwines with gourmet Italian food whilelearning about Spark One.Developed specifically for earlyconsumption sparkling wines, Spark Oneis made entirely from cork microparticles.It provides excellent mechanicalperformance, is highly robust and veryeasy to use.Importantly, Spark One guaranteesstrong pressure resistance — possibly themost important factor for sparkling wineclosures — and an excellent level ofcleanliness thanks to Amorim’s exclusiveROSA process.Developed over many years ofresearch, ROSA removes the contaminant2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) from corkusing ‘controlled steam distillation’.Spark One is also environmentallyfriendly. Like all natural cork closures, itis renewable, recyclable andbiodegradable and plays an importantrole in carbon dioxide retention.For further information visit www.sparkone.netCORK INTERIOR FORFUTURE MERCEDESMercedes-Benz has unveiled its vision fora future luxurious touring sedan — completewith an environmentally friendly corkinterior.The stunning F 700 concept car made itsinternational debut at the Frankfurt MotorShow, the world’s largest motoring industryexhibition.Mercedes-Benz promotes the overallenvironmental friendliness of the vehiclewith one of the most striking features beinga natural interior of leather and cork.The motoring giant said the car’sinnovative and spacious interior designenables an entirely new and verycomfortable mode of travel.“With the F 700, Mercedes-Benz showswhat the big touring sedan of the future willlook like. It offers environmentallycompatible mobility combined with utmostcomfort and an effortlessly superior drive,”said Professor Dr. Herbert Kohler,responsible for Group Research & AdvancedEngineering Vehicle and Powertrain atDaimlerChrysler.Mercedes-Benz describes the car’sinterior as “a harmonic balance betweentechnology and nature” with open-poredcork used for the door liners, the roof liningand the centre console, which runs all theway through the interior.Due to the use of natural materials likeleather and cork and a harmonious brownand beige colour scheme, the interior makesan elegant and light impression and appearsvery upmarket with a strong quality feel.Cork is undergoing a renaissance incommercial applications with many companies> The F 700 features a naturalinterior of leather and cork.turning to the unique natural material for awide range of state-of-the-art products.For example, Griffin Technology, acompany that manufactures accessories forApple’s popular iPod and iPhone, recentlyreleased a hard-shell natural cork case forthe iPhone.And Portugal's postal authority, CTT, hasissued the world’s first postage stamp madeentirely from cork.Designed by Portuguese engraver JoaoMachado, the stamp depicts a cork tree on ahill and has a face value of one euro.Made from wafer-thin ‘paper cork’ andjust 0.35mm thick, every stamp is uniquedue to the cellular structure of cork.The initial print run of 230,000 sold out in amatter of months as collectors worldwidequickly snapped up the remarkable postagestamp.In his role as chairperson of the PortugueseCork Association (APCOR), Corticeira Amorimchairman and CEO António Amorim attendedthe official unveiling of the stamp at Lisbonparliament.During his presentation Mr Amorimoutlined how the cork industry was diversifyinginto building, aeronautics, automobilemanufacturing and other sectors.At the start of this year Corticeira Amorimannounced the creation of Amorim CorkResearch, a business unit designed to ‘meet theinnovation challenge’.Amorim Cork Research is exploring newapplications for cork including the developmentof new products and innovative commercialsolutions.> The stunning Mercedes-BenzF 700 concept car.> Portugal has issued the world’sfirst cork postage stamp.

GLOBAL ACCLAIM FOR SUSTAINABILITY REPORTThe first Sustainability Report issued byCorticeira Amorim has won acommendation in the global CR ReportingAwards 2007.Developed by CorporateRegister.com,the CR (corporate responsibility) ReportingAwards involved 300 companies from 40countries representing 39 differentbusiness areas. Winners in nine separatecategories were announced in Berlin inearly March.In the ‘Openness and Honesty’ category,a sector that lies at the heart ofsustainability issues, Amorim’s submissionwas distinguished as one of the world’s topthree entries.According to CorporateRegister.com: “Itis often difficult to assess the truth. Thisdistinction is awarded to the clearestreports, which convince us of the truerealities existing within each company.”Corticeira Amorim chairman and CEOAntónio Amorim said he was proud that thecompany had received internationalrecognition for the manner in which itcommunicated its sustainability policies.“While a culture of sustainability hasguided Amorim’s business activity since the19th century, this was the first time that wehad conducted a review of our performancein this area and stated our sustainabledevelopment policies,” he said.>Carbon sink — cork forests play animportant role in sustainable development.Corticeira Amorim’s success in the‘Openness & Honesty’ category placed it inthe top three with corporate giants Bayerand Nike.The company was also well regarded inthe category that acknowledges the ‘BestFirst Time Report’ with a fifth placing andfinished in sixth place from 167 entries forthe ‘Relevance and Materiality’ of itsSustainability Report.Corticeira Amorim released its firstSustainability Report in August last year.The report highlighted the fact that corkoak forests and the natural cork productsderived from the forests are a major carbonsink. It also showed that cork’s role incarbon dioxide retention and theenvironmentally friendly business practicesof leading cork producers such as Amorimplace the cork industry at the forefront ofsustainable development.Despite being available for less than fivemonths, Amorim’s Sustainability Reportwas the most popular item downloadedfrom the company’s Corkfacts website in2007 with more than 4300 copies requested.A full copy of Corticeira Amorim’s 2006 SustainabilityReport is available at www.corticeiraamorim.com/enWRAP STUDY FOCUSES ON CARBON EMISSIONSA study by the UK-based Waste &Resources Action Programme (WRAP)has revealed that the carbon impact ofbottling wine in light glass bottles with ahigh recycled content comparesfavourably with using PET containers.The WRAP report looked at the carbonimpact of production and transportation of750ml glass and PET wine bottles. Itestablished that significant reductions incarbon dioxide (CO2) can be made throughreducing the weight and increasing therecycled content of glass bottles.In its report summary, WRAP said:“Lightweighting bottles has been shownto have benefits in terms of CO2 savingsfrom transport of loads. Consequently,reducing glass bottle weight reduces thequantity of CO2 emissions associatedwith wine packaging.”The study showed that a 54g PETcontainer came out only marginallylower than a 365g glass bottle whenusing the medium estimate for glassproduction emissions. The higher carbondioxide emissions arising for PET frommanufacture offset much of the savingsobtained from its low weight.In both scenarios, excluding orincluding end-of-life, the emissionsattributed to the 54g PET bottle lay withinthe range of emissions attributable to the365g glass bottle.“This is an important piece of work thatdemonstrates the positive environmentalimpact of lightweighting and theincorporation of recycled content,” saidRichard Swannell WRAP director of retailand organics programmes.“It will help inform the wine, packagingand retail industries on the environmentalimpact of their packaging choices.”Amorim’s director of marketing andcommunications Carlos de Jesus said thefindings were an important contribution tothe emerging debate on using plastic winebottles versus glass to reduce carbondioxide emissions.“When you add cork's net carbon dioxideretention to the equation it is clear that alightweight glass bottle with a high recycledcontent sealed with a natural cork is awinner for the environment,” he said.“This combination also retains thepremium positioning that can only beachieved with wine packaged in a glassbottle sealed with a natural cork.”The full WRAP study report is available atwww.wrap.org.uk/retail>Environmentally friendly.

IN BRIEFCORK GOES BROADWAYAmorim Cork America has supplied 5000corks for the world’s first wine tastingmusical, the off-Broadway production WineLovers – The Musical.“At first we thought the request was verystrange,” said general manager Daryl Eklund.“When it was explained that the corks would beintegral to the set design and part of the themeof wine and romance, how could we say no.”Wine Lovers – The Musical is a uniqueinteractive experience that allows audiencesto taste six wines while learning about the joyof wine and love. The play revolves around twomismatched students and their journey ofdiscovery at a wine class.“Using natural cork as a background addedgreatly to the play,” said Julian Brizzi, theshow’s general manager. “When you think ofromance, history, and the ritual of wine,natural cork is one of the first things thatcomes to mind.” > 01STRONG POSITION IN CHINAAmorim continues to build marketshare in China with its Beijing officeactively promoting the benefits ofAmorim’s global leadership in the corkindustry.In an industry landmark initiative, anadvertisement in the Mandarin languagefeaturing leading winemakers from sevenmajor wine-producing countries will soonappear in Chinese publications.Amorim Cork Beijing sales managerRicardo Duarte says Amorim has beensupplying corks to Chinese winemakersfor more than 40 years.“China is potentially a huge market forAmorim with wine production andconsumption in the world’s mostpopulated country increasing significantlyeach year,” he said.International Organisation of Vine andWine (OIV) statistics show that in 2004China was the world’s seventh largestproducer of wine, while the nation’sannual vintage has a growth rateexceeding 10 per cent. > 02>01 >02>GERMAN RETAILER PROMOTES CORKLeading German supermarket chain,Kaufland, has initiated an in-store ‘wineand cork promotion’ to communicate itspositive environmental practices.The promotion provided consumerswith information on cork stoppers andgave them a chance to win a trip to thecork forests of Portugal.“The purpose of the event was toprovide our customers with anenvironmental perspective on natural corkwine closures and how the choices theymake do indeed count,” said PasqualeRizzo, sales director for Kaufland.“We also want our customers tounderstand our commitment to theenvironmental movement and sustainablebusiness practices.”Kaufland has been collecting usednatural wine corks for more than 15 yearsin support of a charity that helps membersof the community with epilepsy. Therecycled corks are processed intoinsulation material.The Kaufland promotion was cosponsoredby the German CorkAssociation (DKV) and Portuguese CorkAssociation (APCOR).CERTIFICATION FOR ITALYAmorim Cork Italy has been certified bythe British Retail Consortium/Institute ofPackaging (BRC/IOP), making it the firstwine closure company in Italy to receive thedemanding food packaging certification.General manager Carlos Santos said thecertification was important for customerswho are exporting wines to countries wherethe BRC/IOP quality standard is requested— particularly the United Kingdom.“The BRC/IOP audit process hasencouraged us to review and improve ourquality procedures and the performance ofour staff in relation to sanitary,environmental and safety standards,”he said.DROP US A LINEFor more information about cork and/or Amorim please drop a line to:The Editor, Bark to BottleFax: +61 3 9654 3785 Internet: www.corkfacts.comE-mail: carlos.dejesus.ai@amorim.comThe BRC/IOP Standard is a guideline formanufacturers of food packaging. Itaddresses both hygiene management andquality control in line with HACCP (HazardAnalysis and Critical Control Points)principles. Amorim Cork Italy receivedHACCP certification in 2004.FAIRHILLS SUBMITS BEST PHOTOFairhills, a popular wine brand in SouthAfrica’s Origin Wine range, has won theInternational Amorim PhotographicCompetition.The photographs were taken at theFairhills craft project and crèche inRawsonville where the company is involvedin various community projects.“This annual competition is open to ourclients in all countries,” said CorticeiraAmorim executive director Nuno Barroca.“The level of community involvementdemonstrated by Fairhills aptly illustratesthe goodwill South African producers ploughback into their industry.”As the prize, Amorim will build aplayground at the craft project’s coffee shop.“Being part of the Fairtrade initiative, weare committed to investment in the welfareof the communities where our wines areproduced,” said Origin Wine CEO BernardFontannaz. > 03ACADEMY PRIZE AWARDEDAlexandre Pons, a 33-year-old student atthe University of Bordeaux, has won the 2007Amorim Academy Grand Prix for his worktitled Research on premature ageing of drywhite wines.Pons identified a precursor of sotolon, avolatile flavour compound that is typical ofoxidised white wines. His work also showedthat closures that limit oxygen permeabilityprevent premature ageing of white wine.Previous studies at the University ofBordeaux have suggested that natural corkclosures are the most suitable for postbottling wine development due to theirintermediate levels of oxygen ingress.>03> Amorim supplied 5000 corks for the set of‘Wine Lovers – The Musical’.> Building marketshare in China.> Another reason to smile — Fairhills won theAmorim photo competition.