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Recycled Wine Cork Sustainable Material Recycled Wine Cork Sustainable Material

A carbon-negative material that literally grows on trees!

We've pioneered a way to turn used cork into a sustainable replacement for fossil fuel foams used in footwear, and it's better in every way.

Making the most of an abundant resource.

Every year, millions of cork stoppers are produced by punching cylinders out of strips of cork. With the help of our ReCORK Collection Partners, we've collected over 110 million natural wine corks, which we grind down along with leftover trimmings from cork production. All this recycled cork is used to replace fossil fuel foams in our footwear.

Footwear can be a dirty business.

The footwear industry produces more than 20 billion pairs of shoes a year. The most environmentally harmful material used is often the petroleum-based foam in midsoles and insoles. ReCORKâ„¢ Recycled Cork replaces this foam with a totally sustainable alternative that's just as comfortable, cushioning, light and durable.

A material too good to waste.

Sustainable Recycled Cork Process Sustainable Recycled Cork Process

Cork grows as the bark of the cork oak tree. It's harvested by hand every 9-12 years without ever cutting a tree down. Every bit of the bark gets used: wine corks are stamped out, used as bottle stoppers and recycled by businesses and individuals like you. The trimmings are ground down and mixed with the recycled wine corks, to create ReCORKTM Recycled Cork. Creating this revolutionary material requires far less energy and water than synthetic foams. The result is footwear components that are sustainable every step of the way, from origin to end-point.

Shop Recycled Cork Products

Why else do we use cork?

Beyond being incredibly eco-friendly, cork has many other qualities that make it perfect for use in footwear.


  CUSHIONING<br>

  CUSHIONING<br>

CUSHIONING

Natural elasticity makes for excellent shock absorption.


  NATURALLY DRY<br>

  NATURALLY DRY<br>

NATURALLY DRY

Moisture-wicking and odor-reducing.


  CUSTOMIZABLE<br>

  CUSTOMIZABLE<br>

CUSTOMIZABLE

Naturally molds to your unique feet within days of wear.


  SUPPORTIVE

  SUPPORTIVE

SUPPORTIVE

Firm enough to provide long-lasting support.

View Recycled Cork Collection
ReCORK Logo ReCORK Logo

Made with ReCORK Recycled Cork.

Cork

22 to 60

Wine corks in each pair of recycled cork footbeds, shoes and sandals.

ReCORK Logo

We want your corks.

We couldn't do this without people like you and our incredible Collection Partners. To recycle your corks, simply drop them off at a Public Collection Partner near you.

ReCORK Logo

We want your corks.

We couldn't do this without people like you and our incredible Collection Partners. To recycle your corks, simply drop them off at a Public Collection Partner near you.

ReCORK Logo

Learn about how we use BLOOM algae-based materials to reduce fossil fuels in our flips, reducing their environmental impact by 40% and protecting threatened natural ecosystems in the process.

Learn About Bloom Foam
ReCORK Logo

Learn about how we use BLOOM algae-based materials to reduce fossil fuels in our flips, reducing their environmental impact by 40% and protecting threatened natural ecosystems in the process.

Learn About Bloom Foam

How is cork carbon negative?

For each ton of cork harvested, cork oak forests absorb an average of 55 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. This means that a single cork represents 55 times its own weight in carbon sequestered. We account for the carbon absorbed by cork oak forests so that consumers can see exactly how much better it is to choose natural cork than petroleum-based materials. Read more about the power of cork.

How is cork carbon negative?

For each ton of cork harvested, cork oak forests absorb an average of 55 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. This means that a single cork represents 55 times its own weight in carbon sequestered. We account for the carbon absorbed by cork oak forests so that consumers can see exactly how much better it is to choose natural cork than petroleum-based materials. Read more about the power of cork.