Amorim Releases Sustainability Report

Hanover, MD, October, 31, 2007-- Amorim, a leading manufacturer of cork oak and creator of Wicanders flooring, has released an independently verified report showing that cork oak forests and the resulting products are crucial in minimizing the world's ecological footprint by increasing CO2 retention, preserving biodiversity, and combating desertification.

Since 1868, Amorim has made a continuous research and development effort to optimize every ounce of cork oak. Although cork bottle stoppers Amorim’s main product, left over production materials are used in other high-value applications such as Wicanders flooring. The 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.

As a result of the governing laws in Portugal, the cork oak forests are preserved for centuries. Amorim is one of the first companies to have obtained Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for several processing units. The forests are privately owned by many farmers, and because of this, it is nearly impossible to certify the entire forest.

Cork oak forests and cork products play a valuable role in retaining the earth's CO2. The cork forests are responsible for nearly 4.8 million tons of the world's CO2 retention per year. Amorim's annual production of wine stoppers alone retains over 25,000 tons of CO2. To provide an example, a mid-sized 30-mpg car driving 12,000 miles a year gives off about 3.55 tons of CO2 per year according to Ecobusinesslinks.com.