The Wicanders blog is about using cork oak to help benefit the
world’s health, wellbeing, and socioeconomic development. As the
industry leader in cork oak flooring, we are proud to actively
participate in the exchange of ideas about health and sustainability,
promote green building practices, and preserve the Montado cork oak
forests.
Since 1868, Amorim—the world leader in cork oak manufacturing and creator of Wicanders
flooring—has made a continuous effort in the R&D area, to optimize
the shared value of every ounce of cork oak. Cork bottle stoppers are
the main production of Amorim, yet any remaining materials from the
stopper production process are incorporated into other high-value
applications such as Wicanders flooring.
Wicanders Engineered Oak Flooring represent a generations-old balance between
environmental conservation, creation of wealth, and social development
that benefits millions of people worldwide. Their manufacturing process
is practically waste-free. Pieces of cork oak that cannot be
incorporated into products are used as biomass and are converted into
fuel as an energy source. Therefore, there is no waste and no cork oak
residue– nothing is discarded, everything is transformed.
Wicanders flooring is considered unique for its properties of thermal
insulation, acoustic dampening, health benefits, and resiliency. Cork
oak is free from allergens and hidden germs and is naturally
anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and hypoallergenic. For these reasons,
the cork oak forests of Portugal, called the Montados, are
considered to be extremely valuable and are a protected national
resource. The harvesting of cork oak is unique in that the tree itself
is never harmed in the process of stripping its bark, and biodiversity
is aided by this necessary task. The Montados are home to wildlife such
as nesting black storks, owls, Iberian lynxes, Imperial eagles, and wild
boars. The forests are naturally hardy and survive without any use of
synthetic or chemical herbicides, fertilizers or irrigation.