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Korko’s cork toy collection has a negative carbon balance
The joint venture between Corticeira Amorim and HAPE – the world’s leading producer of wooden toys – aims to respond to growing demand for safe, ecological and natural toys
A lifecycle assessment, conducted by Itecons, concluded that Korko’s “Building Blocks” sets have a negative carbon balance.
Mozelos, Thursday, 16 March
Corticeira Amorim, the world’s leading cork processing group, and HAPE, the world’s leading producer of wooden toys, have joined forces to explore the cork toys market. This partnership has resulted in Korko – a joint venture that aims to respond to growing demand for safe, ecological and natural toys.
One of Korko’s toy collections – produced by Amorim Cork Composites, Corticeira Amorim’s business unit that develops products, solutions and applications for some of the world’s most sophisticated industries – is called «Building Blocks». It is based on a concept of building blocks that aims to promote children’s creative development, playful learning and skills training.
This collection simultaneously aims to respond to environmental concerns of parents, educators and guardians, while raising children’s awareness about the use of Earth-friendly materials from an early age.
A life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by Itecons – the Institute of Research and Technological Development for Construction, Energy, Environment and Sustainability – concluded that the three available sets of «Building Blocks» (with 20, 40 and 60 pieces) all have a negative carbon balance. The sets with 20 and 40 pieces have a carbon balance of -19.88 kg CO2 eq. and -39.75 kg CO2 eq., respectively, while the set of 60 pieces has a carbon balance of -59.59 kg CO2 eq.
In the calculation of the Carbon Footprint of Korko toys, IPCC 2021 (100 years) method was used, according to the international standard ISO 14067. The impact categories evaluated were: Global Warming Potential – fossil; Global Warming Potential – biogenic; Global Warming Potential – CO2 uptake; Global Warming Potential – land transformation; and Global Warming Potential – total. To calculate the carbon balance, a methodology provided by Amorim Cork Composites was used, which considers both the carbon sequestered by the cork oak forest and the GHG emissions from the product stage, calculated using international standard ISO 14067.
As a 100% natural, ecological, renewable, recyclable and reusable raw material, “cork delivers extraordinary benefits to the toy market”, suggests António Rios de Amorim, Corticeira Amorim’s Chairman and CEO, who emphasises that “cork is light, odourless and soft-to-the-touch. These characteristics facilitate playing with cork toys, as a learning resource. We believe that Korko will bring happiness to children, while contributing to a more sustainable world. To help safeguard everyone’s future”.
About Corticeira Amorim:
Corticeira Amorim is the world’s largest cork processing group. Founded in 1870, the company currently has dozens of business units distributed across five continents. It exports numerous products to more than 100 countries and has a diversified network of 29,000 customers. With strong sustainability credentials and a negative carbon footprint, Corticeira Amorim supplies a set of solutions, materials and applications to some of the world’s most technological, disruptive and demanding business activities, such as the aerospace, automobile, construction, sports, energy, interior design industries and the still and sparkling wines and spirits sectors. The company is managed by the fourth generation of the Amorim family, and cultivates the same values of longevity, ambition, pride, attitude and passion that have always underpinned the past 150 years of its successful history. The company annually invests millions of euros in R&D + I, generates 93% of its sales outside Portugal and employs around 5,000 employees. Corticeira Amorim’s mission is to add value to cork in a competitive, differentiated and innovative manner, in perfect harmony with Nature. In 2022, the company recorded €1.0214 billion in consolidated sales.
Lisa Steinbach
Marketing & PR
Mobil: +49 (0) 151 / 14516935
lisa.steinbach@toynamics.com
Toynamics.com
