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Etico: New Life to Corks
13 January 2012
branch_mich_cub_chairEtico, a new campaign which promotes the recycling of corks, used as wine bottle tops, into building materials has recently been launched in Italy by Amorim Cork Italia.

Etico was created to safeguard the cork which is normally lost in pulping. Etico ensures that the cork is collected, cleaned and mixed with cement to be used as an insulating material.
The project was set up with the help of associations and wineries, and creates a circuit of good behavior, thanks to the union of apparently distant worlds such as ecology, business, civil society and prison recovery.

In fact, to extend the project to civil society, the association also collects cork caps from wine cellars, and with the help of some non-profit organizations they also collect corks from bars, taverns and restaurants.
Amongst others, the association A Braccia Aperte, dealing with disadvantaged families, collected 5 tons of cork in 2010 and more than 6.3 tonnes in 2011.

On the whole, Etico's main goal is to reach a target collection of 250 tonnes of cork to help reducing the waste of a 100% natural and recyclable resource in many fields. In fact, besides building materials many other new products can be created from used corks, examples ranging from accessories, hats, wallets and handbags to other everyday items. Or, alternatively in the form of granules, it can be used to contain liquid pollutants' in rivers or to replace materials derived from oil in the hulls of boats. Moreover, it should not be overlooked that as a raw material it can even be exploited in the field of architecture, sculpture and design.

 

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