2012 was a remarkable year for Corticeira Amorim. Although some of our leading markets contracted in 2012, the company’s business and profitability continued to grow, exceeding for the first time in our long history annual sales of more than €500 million.
This edition of the Sustainability Report outlines the main steps taken in 2012 towards a Sustainable Development. It is worth to highlight the conclusions of a pioneering study – an independent calculation and verification of Corticeira Amorim’s carbon footprint – showing that this activity results in the sequestration of more than 2 million tons of CO2 a year, 15 times more than all its operations emit in the same period.
Being the world leader of an industry with these characteristics carries with it a responsibility of a continuous engagement with innovation and developmental process of cork products that create economic, environmental and social value for customers, consumers and society as a whole. In 2012, cork was chosen to be the main structural component of the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, an iconic architectural work created in London by Herzog & de Meuron and the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. At the same time, a partnership with Siemens was announced for using cork in a new generation Metro system. This type of initiatives is having a major impact in the wide recognition of the potential of cork as an advantageous material for the 21st century.
The commitment of Amorim’s employees, who live and feel our sustainable development ambitions in a way that goes beyond the simple carrying out of their duties, has been fundamental to these successes. Initiatives undertaken, which have added greatly to the value created by Corticeira Amorim, include, among others, cork oak plantations, recycling cork stoppers and environment educational activities.
We are pleased to invite you to know our 7th Sustainability Report, available onwww.corticeiraamorim.com/relatorios2012, simultaneously available onwww.sustainability.amorim.com.
