Installation of the Venda Nova project: 251 hectares of cork oak trees with irrigation.

The Amorim Cork Flooring brand, Amorim Wise, is launched, with a focus on sustainability and a commitment to only sell products that have a negative carbon footprint.

The new Lisbon Cruise Terminal, an emblematic project designed by the Portuguese architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça, presents an unprecedented solution that combines cork with concrete, thereby making it possible to reduce the building's structure weight and create an extraordinarily beautiful architectural effect. Light structural white concrete, mixed with granulated natural cork, applied to the building's facades, is 40% lighter than traditional concrete. This innovative composite cork product is the result of a partnership between Amorim Cork Composites, Secil and the University of Coimbra’s ITeCons. Combining the strength and beauty of architectural concrete with the lightness, durability and thermal insulation of cork, this material is lighter, ecological and more sustainable than traditional building options.

Amorim Top Series launches 100% sustainable capsulated stoppers. The result of a major R&D effort, these stoppers use new bio-based polymers derived exclusively from renewable and / or biodegradable sources.

Launch of the Cork Inside seal that demonstrates the strong commitment to the development of new products that combine cork with other raw materials sourced from the circular economy.

Acquisition of the Herdade da Baliza estate in the Castelo Branco / Tejo international area, that has a total area of 2866 hectares. This is the group's first investment in a forestry estate with the aim of installing a new cork oak plantation, using the best practices and cultivation processes.

Amorim Cork Composites launches the i.cork factory, a pilot innovation factory that is entirely dedicated to the research and development of new products that varies cork. The i.cork factory’s objective is to design new materials, and test and explore the application of technologies that haven’t yet had industrial application in the sector.

A study conducted by PwC concludes that the Neutrocork cork stopper has a negative carbon footprint: the carbon sequestration can be up to -392 grams of CO₂ retention per stopper. A new study conducted by EY in 2019 concludes that the champagne cork has a negative carbon footprint of - 562g CO₂ per stopper, when considering the contribution of the cork oak forest. The natural cork stopper, which consists of a single piece of natural cork, has a carbon footprint of -309g CO₂ per stopper when also considering the carbon sequestration from the cork oak forest.

Several French stadiums built for the UEFA Euro 2016 competition use Amorim Isolamentos’ cork infill system for natural turf. The system is also used in the National Rugby Centre - Domaine de Bellejame, on the outskirts of Paris, where the Portuguese national team trains daily.

TD Cork, a startup supported by Amorim Ventures launches SUGO CORK RUGS® collection: the first cork rugs collection designed using traditional weaving methods. This is the first time that a cork rug has been produced using traditional weaving methods, which has even resulted in a patent application.

Amorim Cork Composites' AluCORK® floor is selected for the new generation of high-speed trains of CP - Comboios de Portugal.

Corticeira Amorim presents NDtech technology, an unprecedented individual stopper sorting technology for cork stopper production lines, based on gas chromatography - one of the world’s most sophisticated chemical analysis techniques. NDtech technology offers incredible precision, and is capable of detecting any cork stopper that has more than 0.5 nanograms / litre (parts per trillion) of TCA, automatically removing it from the production line.

Launch of Hydrocork, by Wicanders, a floating floor that, due to its combination of reduced thickness, water resistance and incorporation of cork, is a differentiated flooring solution with high added value. Amorim Cork Flooring's new product also stands out because of its ease of installation, thanks to the PressFit system - a revolutionary vertical fitting technique.

Launch of the footwear brand ASPORTUGUESAS: the world's first brand of cork flip-flops, a project developed by the company Ecochic, by Pedro Abrantes, in the Amorim Cork Ventures business incubator, which was the ideal partner for development of this project.

The Helix packaging system wins Best Green Launch award in the Drink Business Green Awards.

Jasper Morrison designs a cork cabin, entitled ”a weekend away”. It is inspired by the simple life of the countryside and uses layers of dark cork on its outer walls which, in addition to its sustainability characteristics, offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. The project highlighted cork’s versatility during Tokyo Design Week. Jasper Morrison was accompanied by the designers Naoto Fukasawa and Konstantin Grcic, under the theme “A rich life through Minimalism.

Amorim Cork Ventures, Corticeira Amorim’s business incubator is set up. The purpose is to encourage the development of new products and businesses using cork, primarily targeted at foreign markets, providing entrepreneurs with access to financing, and also to management skills, expertise and networks in different sectors and countries.

Creation of an experimental cork oak plantation, with irrigation, in the Herdade do Corunheiro, in Coruche. The basic objective is to advance the moment when the first virgin cork may be harvested, without ever neglecting the sustainability factor.

The Istanbul Design Biennial puts the spotlight on Portuguese cork. Organised by the Istanbul Art and Culture Foundation (IKSV), the Biennial’s second edition presents a set design made from cork, sponsored by Corticeira Amorim, and designed by the architectural studio Superpool.

Creation of the WAVE system - a technology that makes it possible to create cork-based insulation with unique design / patterns. Demand for this new technology derives primarily from architects who are attracted by its creative applications.

The intention is to work with the cork oak tree and its biotechnology so that the production of cork can keep up with the growth rate of the market, in particular, by increasing the resistance of the species, reducing the first cycle of cork extraction and better land use, with increased density of trees per hectare.

Corticeira Amorim presents METAMORPHOSIS, the result of a research and development project into the potential of cork. The METAMORPHOSIS project aims to motivate innovative, creative and cutting edge uses of cork, as a unique raw material. The curatorial concept was based on the motto of expanding the boundaries of this historic Portuguese material. The Pritzker Prize winning architects, Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Alejandro Aravena and Herzog & de Meuron were invited to join the project, together with renowned architects Amanda Levete, João Luís Carrilho da Graça and Manuel Aires Mateus, as well as three notable product designers, James Irvine, Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa. Curated by Experimentadesign, METAMORPHOSIS was one of the core exhibitions in the EXD'13 Biennale, whose theme was "No Borders".

Launch of the innovative Helix system, the cork stopper that does not require a corkscrew.

Amorim Isolamentos' expanded cork agglomerate is one of the “BuildingGreen Top-10 Products for 2013”, organised by Building Green, a publication by GreenSpec and Environmental Building News (EBN). The award means that it is recognised in the USA as one of the 10 most ecological and sustainable products for the building industry.

Amorim Top Series® designs a luxury cork stopper for the exclusive edition to mark Glenfiddich's 125th anniversary.

Students of the Master's degree course in Design at the prestigious educational institution, based in London, have the option to study a new module dedicated to cork. The initiative is part of a concerted strategy to make cork a material of choice for design and architecture projects.

Various cork products from the group's units are used in the transformation of the Lisbon Ferry, "Trafaria Praia”, a project by Joana Vasconcelos that marks Portugal's participation in the 55th edition of the Venice Biennale. An authentic Portuguese project, cork is used in the transformation of Trafaria Praia, which stands out both due to its strong decorative component and the numerous advantages it offers in terms of technical performance and aesthetic versatility.

Corticeira Amorim and the design and architecture studio, FAT - Fashion Architecture Taste, work together for the first time in the London Design Festival, which means that Portuguese cork is once again present in a leading international event. The innovative design project resulted in a natural cork floor that can be seen on the bridge of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. The floor consists of a series of cork tiles, which are arranged to create a repetitive visual geometric pattern, based on cork's own cellular structure. Coincidentally, the pattern also refers to certain architectural features of the Douro region, where geometric tile patterns are often found.

Cork is used as one of the main materials in the Quiet Motion structure, conceived by renowned French designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for the BMWi exhibition at the Salone Internacional del Mobile 2013 in Milan. Interpreting a visionary concept of sustainable mobility, Quiet Motion uses agglomerated cork supplied by Corticeira Amorim, combined with a series of blue textiles.

Over 80 m3 of Cork is used to build the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei. It was open to the public between June and October 2012, and from then housed the private collection of the renowned international collectors Usha and Lakshmi N. Mittal.

Cork is used in the Vegja - ESA rocket. The ability to resist high temperatures makes cork an ideal material for thermal protection.

Cork is used on the floors of Siemens - Inspiro’s state-of-the art metro system, in Warsaw, Poland. The core of the flooring system includes a cork solution, which makes the carriage about 30% lighter, delivering significant gains in terms of energy efficiency. In 2015, the same system was implemented in Riyadh.

Amorim Cork Flooring creates ArtComfort flooring (this range is currently called Wicanders Wood Essence), thus introducing digital printing technology to the company.

Vitra Design Museum and Domaine de Boisbuchet, in partnership with Amorim, launch the “Cork Competition”, which challenges the international community of designers and architects to create new and innovative uses for cork. A group of 20 international designers take part in a specialised workshop at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, selected from a total of 367 proposals. The goal is to develop 20 different prototypes. Anna Loskiewicz's Cork Beehive is considered to be the best project. The well-known Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto also takes part in the competition and receives an honourable mention for his Cork Chair project.

Corticeira Amorim acquires Trefinos, a major company for the production and sales of cork stoppers for champagne and sparkling wines, based in Catalonia.

The Assembly of the Republic declares that the cork oak tree is the National Tree of Portugal.

Wicanders flooring solutions, supplied by Amorim Revestimentos, are used in Gaudí’s legendary project - the Sagrada Família cathedral, in Barcelona.

The architect Álvaro Siza Vieira designs the wine cellar at the Quinta do Portal, where he uses cork in the upper section of the façade. For this purpose, he used MDFachada expanded agglomerated cork supplied by Amorim Isolamentos. The project won the «Best of Wine Tourism 2011» award in the Architecture and Landscapes category, attributed by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, and the Douro Architecture Award 2010/2011, which aims to encourage good architecture practices in this unique landscape that has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Portuguese designers Pedrita (Pedro Ferreira and Rita João) are invited to coordinate a cork workshop at the prestigious Domaine de Boisbuchet, considered to be one of the world’s most important centres of experimentation in design and architecture. The workshop follows the designers' first contact with cork and the development of Rufo, one of the items included within the MATERIA collection, CORK BY AMORIM. Participation includes support from Corticeira Amorim. The aim is to present cork and its potential for application and promote its use among the creative community.

Corticeira Amorim presents MATERIA, a collection of cork design objects at the prestigious Fuori Salone, in Milan. At the time awareness of the role and relevance of cork as an excellent interior design material was still at an incipient stage. In the MATERIA collection it is used in 25 objects designed by world-renowned designers and creatives.

The British supermarket chain Sainsbury's and Corticeira Amorim establish a joint commitment to promote natural cork. Sainsbury's, the UK’s second largest supermarket chain, announces that it will only sell wines that use cork stoppers certified by the FSC® - Forest Stewardship Council.

Corticeira Amorim’s corks help preserve 200-year-old champagne. More than 160 bottles of champagne discovered in the Baltic Sea are recovered with technical support from Corticeira Amorim, which ensures that the original stopper can be replaced with a new natural cork stopper.

Corticeira Amorim develops a collection of luxury capsulated stoppers. The new natural cork stopper, called Top Series®, is aligned with the group’s strategic commitment to innovation and is the result of cutting-edge technologies. It is designed to meet the needs of the producers of premium spirits.

Corticeira Amorim corks are chosen to seal the world’s most expensive whisky - Dalmore Trinitas 64. Only three luxury bottles were produced, that retailed at around €118,000 per bottle. The selected cork stoppers were from Amorim Top Series’ Premium collection.

The Portugal pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai, that is entirely covered with cork supplied by Corticeira Amorim, wins the Design Award.

Inauguration of the world’s first cork stopper recycling facility at Amorim Cork Composites, in Mozelos, to ensure the viability of Green Cork - a selective collection and recycling programme of cork stoppers.

Amorim Cork Composites, in partnership with Matceramica, launches Alma Gémea: a collection that links cork to earthenware, two important materials in the national tradition and that strongly project the image of Portugal. A ground-breaking proposal and with real added value for the consumer goods sector for the home.

Amorim Cork Flooring changes its mission from producing cork flooring to producing flooring that incorporates cork. This makes it possible to create a new generation of flooring solutions - Vinylcomfort (this range is now called Wicanders Wood Resist) - a hybrid LVT floating floor solution that incorporates cork, something that did not previously exist in the market. This product enables Amorim Cork Flooring to become a leader in the LVT floating floor category for several years, and becomes one of Wicanders’ best selling products.

Corticeira Amorim acquires 25% of one of the most important US distributors of cork flooring: US Floors.

Corticeira Amorim published its first Sustainability Report in 2007, reporting publicly on its 2006 practices. This was the first sustainability report to be published by the cork industry, marking the beginning of a regular, systematic and structured communication of the Group’s policies and practices, in terms of environmental and social impacts. Publication of the report was a significant step in a broader sustainability strategy, aimed at strengthening sustainable development policies and practices.

Adherence to the Condomínio da Terra & GFTN, a voluntary system that aims to take care of the Planet in an integrated manner. Corticeira Amorim becomes the first condominium.

The production and distribution capacity of champagne corks is reinforced through the acquisition of 87% of the prestigious Oller Group.

Amorim Cork Flooring launches Corkstyle that has a revolutionary finish - WRT (Wear Resistance Technology), which enables cork floors to be used in areas with greater traffic.

Corticeira Amorim Indústria (now known as Amorim Cork Composites), that has its headquarters in Mozelos (Portugal), is certified by the FSC® - Forest Stewardship Council, becoming the world’s first packaging company to receive this important environmental certification.

Creation of the R&D Department for new cork applications. A partnership with the University of Minho delivers fruits, expanding the number of areas where cork will become an asset.

With the primary objective of eliminating TCA, and other volatile compounds that adulterate cork’s characteristics, the Rosa technology is patented: Rosa (cork granules), Rosa Evo (natural corks) and Super Rosa (natural corks).

António Rios de Amorim succeeds Américo Ferreira de Amorim as Corticeira Amorim’s CEO. The family’s 4th generation thereby takes on leadership roles. The change in governance happens naturally within the group.

Creation of Amorim & Irmãos, S.A. - Coruche Unit. A twin unit to the Ponte de Sor unit, it is dedicated to the production of champagne cork discs commercialised under the Spark® brand. With the opening of the units in Ponte de Sor and Coruche, vertical integration of the entire production process of cork stoppers becomes a reality.

Acquisition, in the wake of the privatisation process, of the Sociedade Nacional de Cortiça Tunisina, thereby ensuring the group's worldwide dominance of cork production.

The award-winning Portuguese architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura use pure expanded agglomerated cork slabs and high density cork slabs as an external covering on several sides of the Portuguese pavilion at Expo 2000 Hannover. The architects take the pioneering decision to use black agglomerated cork in a visible way.

The Centro de Portugal Pavilion, as it is also known, was designed as an exhibition space for Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. Today it is located in Coimbra and is intended for cultural activities, such as exhibitions and concerts, organised by Coimbra City Council.

Creation of Amorim & Irmãos, S.A. - Ponte de Sor Unit, a centre for the preparation of raw material and manufacture of discs for Twin Top® stoppers. The ground-breaking CONVEX® boiling system for cork is introduced. Opening of this unit enhances quality control of the raw material, and gives greater credibility to the cork industry worldwide.

Construction of the Ponte de Sor factory which reinforces the group's position as a cork producer.

Amorim Cork Flooring launches the world’s first floating cork floor with glue-free installation.

Inauguration of the Cork Stopper Business Unit’s R&D Department, which is to facilitate a series of technological advances, establishing the cork stopper as the best wine stopper known to mankind.

Hotel Hospitz, St. Christoph, in Arlberg, Austria: uses cork in its insulation techniques, to become a "passive house". In other words it regulates its temperature without using any electronic heating equipment.

Amorim & Irmãos presents the exclusive Clean 2000 and BWC stopper washing systems. Champcork presents the new ABC1 method for sterilising corks.

Ibis de Lisboa - First application of cork-based ETICS (External Thermal Insulation Systems). This outer coating material is used for the first time. The system was still unknown in Portugal.

Acquisition of the Swedish group, Wicanders - an important step in further diversification in the wall and floor coverings segment, with a vast distribution network, especially in the northern and central Europe countries. From this date and continuing throughout the 1990s, Corticeira Amorim expands worldwide. Examples include the incorporation of Amorim Cork América (1990), the opening of Amorim France (1991) and the acquisition of Carl Ed Meyer in Germany (1992).

At the end of the 1980s, Portugal is the country with the highest volume of cork processing and Corticeira Amorim is the world leader in the sector.

The group’s four biggest companies - Amorim & Irmãos, S.A., Corticeira Amorim Indústria, S.A., Ipocork - Indústria de Pavimentos e Decoração, S.A. and Champcork - Rolhas de Champanhe, S.A. - launch a tender offer for the acquisition of shares representing their share capital, on the Lisbon Stock Exchange. The operation makes it possible to finance a series of new businesses.

Corticeira Amorim wins the International Quality Trophy, that is disputed by companies from 140 countries.

«Quality is never an accident. It is the result of an intelligent effort»,
Américo Amorim

The Labcork - Laboratório Central do Grupo Amorim, S.A. is set up, as a result of the group’s strategy to differentiate itself from the competition on the basis of quality. With industrial units capable of producing all products derived from cork, Corticeira Amorim reinforces its Research & Development and quality control policies and skills. The activity developed by Labcork applies to all Group companies.

Agglomerated cork is increasingly used in the production of components for sophisticated equipment, such as automobiles, spacecraft and nuclear power plants. Floor and wall coverings and parquets are undergoing a period of permanent technical evolution.

Corticeira Amorim sets up the company, Champcork - Rolhas de Champanhe, S.A., that is focused on the production of stoppers for champagne and sparkling wines. Applying cutting-edge technology, Champcork - Rolhas de Champanhe, S.A. sells 80 million stoppers / year.

Cork was used in the space capsule that put the first Man on the Moon, in 1969: NASA’s Space Shuttle Programme. The ability to withstand high temperatures makes cork the ideal material for providing a thermal protection shield. In fact, only cork is able to leave the earth’s atmosphere and return, while maintaining its characteristics intact. Cork is the only organic material used in a space capsule.

Foundation of Ipocork - Indústria de Pavimentos e Decoração, S.A. (now known as Amorim Cork Flooring) marks Corticeira Amorim’s entry into the parquet and flooring market.

There is a change in the Portuguese cork sector’s production mix. Half of the exported raw material is already industrially processed in Portugal, representing 75% of the value of all Portuguese cork exports. Maintaining its position as the leader of the cork industry, Portugal assumes that it is above all a cork processing country, in the wake of a process that dates back to the early 1960s. The district of Aveiro, where Corticeira Amorim’s head operations are based, becomes Portugal’s biggest cork stopper production centre - responsible for about 75% of national production.

The first cork processing plant outside Portugal is set up in the world’s second most important cork oak forest region, the Mediterranean coast of Africa: Comatral - Compagnie Marocaine de Transformation du Liège, SA, based in Skhirat, Morocco.

Between 1966 and 1969, several companies were acquired and set up in Portugal and abroad, some located in countries on the other side of the “Iron curtain” during the Cold War years. Important examples included Inacor - Indústria Transformadora de Agglomerados de Cortiça, S.A., dedicated to the production of expanded agglomerated cork products; Itexcork - Indústria de Transformação e Exportação de Cortiça, Lda.; and the founding of Corticeira Amorim Algarve, Lda., in Silves, dedicated to the production of black agglomerated cork used in thermal, acoustic and vibrational insulation. Corticeira Amorim uses the new companies to expand its industrial base, broaden its vertical integration strategy and reinforce its internationalisation strategy. A branch in Vienna (1967) - Gerhard Schiesser GmbH - is also opened during this period, which streamlines relations with Soviet bloc countries.

Corticeira Amorim records notable growth in the production of white agglomerated cork and granulated cork. It invests in innovative projects to incorporate these materials through the creation of a specific unit for the production of parquet, another unit for the production of decorative articles and another unit for solutions that incorporate technical mixtures of cork and rubber (CorkRubber). CorkRubber was successfully launched in 1973. In the Algarve, Corticeira Amorim Algarve, Lda. is responsible for the production of around 8% of the black agglomerated cork market.

Creation of an industrial unit dedicated to the production of granulated and agglomerated cork (a unit that later paved the way to the creation of Amorim Cork Composites). The goal was to use 70% of the waste resulting from the production of cork stoppers by Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. and transform it into granulated cork, and use this material to produce valuable pure and composite agglomerated cork products, thereby making it possible to produce a set of new cork-based applications.

Portugal consolidates its position as the world's biggest cork producer (raw material). At this time, about 80% of cork production is exported as raw material and is processed in other countries.

After the Second World War (1939-1945), the 3rd generation takes the helm at Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. The objective of the brothers, Américo, António, Joaquim and José, is very clear: to become the leaders of the global cork industry.

After a major fire that completely destroys the factory in Santa Maria de Lamas in 1944, which seems likely to cause irrevocable damage to the Amorim group’s business activities, the company is back in business within less than a year. The factory’s reconstruction, supported by the workers, was overseen by the company’s chairman, Henrique Amorim, who invested all the available capital at the time.

The warehouse in Abrantes is transformed into a factory for preparation of cork boards. This is the first step towards the vertical integration of production processes across different phases - production of raw material and production of cork - with quality control of the final product.

The Amorim family rents a small warehouse in Abrantes - next to Portugal’s biggest stretch of cork oak forest. At that time, Portugal, although the world's biggest cork producer, only processes about 5% of the raw material. The vast majority of the market is dominated by foreign entities. The family’s strategy aims to counteract this trend.

The family’s first company is incorporated - Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. This was the embryo of the universe of companies that is today Corticeira Amorim. The Amorim family’s second generation brought a new dynamism to the production of cork stoppers, and transformed the company into a leading force in the Portuguese cork industry.

The internationalisation process starts at the beginning of the 20th century by exporting cork to Brazil. Two children of António Alves de Amorim and Ana Pinto Alves emigrate to the other side of the Atlantic, and open two factories - one in São Paulo and another in Rio de Janeiro. During this period the exported cork was a semi-prepared raw material.

The Amorim family's business activity begins when António Alves de Amorim sets up a factory for manual production of cork stoppers, near the main quay in Vila Nova de Gaia.