Cork flooring part of diversification plan

Portugal's cork industry is seeking to diversify the uses to which cork is commonly put after falls in demand for the material as alternative wine bottle stoppers have grown in popularity.

In a feature on the situation, the Financial Times noted that Portugal's cork industry has seen increasing use of the material for cork flooring as well as other purposes, while the environmental aspect of the renewable material has been emphasised as a key advantage of it.

The development has come at a time when 30 per cent of the country's cork export market has been lost to other types of bottle tops amid concerns by supermarkets that corks can produce a polluting musty odour that affects wine.

According to the paper, scientists in the country anticipating fresh growth in demand for cork are looking to develop ways of making the trees grow their bark faster.

Cork's qualities include its strong insulating qualities, a Daily Telegraph feature on home energy efficiency noted earlier this week.

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