Endeavour Group has launched Australia’s only large-scale, natural cork stopper recycling program, ReCORK. In partnership with Amorim Cork and Save Our Soles, the ReCORK system will address recycling challenges posed by natural cork stoppers while repurposing them into other useful and eco-friendly products.
Originating from the Quercus Suber oak tree, corks are biodegradable but they cannot be processed through standard recycling programs.
Corks returned to collection points in Dan Murphy’s stores around Australia will be turned into anti-fatigue, cork composite foot mats by Save Our Soles.
Amorim Australasia CEO Tim Stead said it made sense to harness the resilient properties of cork to create products that could be used in workplaces every day.
“Cork is already considered the most sustainable form of packaging. It is natural, renewable, biodegradable and recyclable only through specialist recycling programs. Cork forests capture millions of tonnes of CO2 annually, and because the cork trees are not harmed by the harvesting process, this carbon retention activity will benefit many future generations.
“There are also approximately 120 million corks imported into Australia (or one per cent of the world's cork stoppers). This is a great opportunity to support the development of a circular economy that extends the sustainability benefits of natural cork,” said Stead.
Dan Murphy’s MD Agi Pfeiffer-Smith said collecting the cork and repurposing it into cork-composite mats for team members provided a convenient solution for wine enthusiasts who are eager to see their corks go to good use.
“Cork plays a crucial role it plays in protecting and preserving many of the wines we drink, but it also absorbs shocks and impacts, effectively protecting any surface it comes into contact with. The mats produced from the corks we collect will give our team members a new level of comfort while they work.
“We are focused on reducing our carbon footprint, and finding a way to reuse cork is a no-brainer for us given the role we play in the wine industry, and the sheer number of corks that come through our stores every day,” said Pfeiffer-Smith.
Save Our Soles founder John Elliott has been recycling large scale products in Australia since 2008, when he first collaborated with Nike to recycle trainers and kick off the shoe recycling movement in Australia. He was also the managing director of BCorp shoe company, TOMS.
Since then, he has continued to forge new relationships with industry leaders, to recycle unwanted products and transform them into reimagined pieces.
“Once we have the outcomes from the pilot program we will give all Australians the ability to recycle their corks with us nationally,” said Elliot.
This project has been supported by the South Australian government through Green Industries SA’s Circular Economy Market Development grant program.
To begin the cork recycling journey, customers can deposit unwanted natural cork stoppers in one of the 52 Dan Murphy’s stores, with more ReCork locations to come.
