Cork Polymer Compounds: Material Use in Home, Office, and Leisure Goods
A sustainable and versatile material choice for consumers and manufacturers alike.
The eco-friendly nature of cork, combined with the durability and resilience of polymer composites, positions CPC as a forward-thinking solution for a variety of applications.Cork polymer compounds (CPC) are revolutionizing the market for home, office, and leisure goods, offering a sustainable and versatile material choice for consumers and manufacturers alike. The eco-friendly nature of cork, combined with the durability and resilience of polymer composites, positions CPC as a forward-thinking solution for a variety of applications, aligning with the growing demand for sustainable and customizable products in today's market.
Highlighting the collaborative potential of CPC, co-development projects with Amorim Cork Composites (ACC) benefit from ACC’s engagement and presence in shop floor operations, which provides client support and accelerates product development. Lisete Moutinho, Global Technical Manager at ACC, emphasizes the partnership’s value: “At ACC, we frame our expertise not just as a supplier, but as a strategic partner, fostering innovation and sustainability in every project.”
What are Cork Polymer Compounds?
Cork Polymer Compounds (CPC) are innovative materials created by mixing cork with thermoplastics, utilizing an extrusion process. This combination harnesses the lightweight, sustainable nature of cork to significantly reduce plastic use by up to 60%, while maintaining the material's essential properties. CPC are versatile, able to be shaped through various manufacturing techniques, and when made with bio-based thermoplastics, they represent a fully bio-based alternative, revolutionizing material use across various industries.
Design customization
The inherent flexibility of CPC allows for a wide range of design customizations, from color choices to cork grain size, shape and format, catering to the most demanding design specifications of the final product. This adaptability is particularly beneficial in manufacturing processes like injection and compression molding, enabling designers to achieve a modern, innovative, and eco-friendly visual appeal.
A multitude of industry applications
This innovative material is impacting multiple industries with its versatility, lightweight nature, and eco-friendliness. Its applications extend to the office environment, where it's being utilized to create a new generation of office supplies. Additionally, it's making an impact on the furniture and interior design market, as well as the footwear industry, offering sustainable and modern alternatives to traditional materials.
In the scope of leisure goods, CPC have superior technical performance. The enhanced grip quality, compared to 100% plastic solutions, along with impact resistance and durability, positions CPC as the material of choice for products that require frequent handling. The comfort of interaction with CPC-made goods further underscores their suitability for leisure applications.
Sustainability is at the core of CPCs'
By promoting cyclical extraction of cork, without damaging the cork oak trees, Corticeira Amorim's activity ensures the viability of the cork oak forest, which is a natural and renewable resource, that offers numerous environmental, economic and social benefits. Studies indicate that for each ton of cork produced, the cork oak forest can sequester up to 73 tons of CO2.
The integration of cork into home, office and leisure goods products, contributes to a smaller ecological footprint, aligning with the environmental priorities of both consumers and manufacturers.