American Airlines helps recycle wine corks

ReCork America, a wine cork recycling program sponsored by Amorim, the largest producer of natural cork closures, is joining with American Airlines and Sodexo, American’s club services management vendor, to collect and recycle used wine corks from AA Admirals Club lounges at 24 airports in the US and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“We are pleased to work with American and Sodexo in coordinating this unique collection effort,” said Teresa Relogio, program coordinator for ReCORK America. “There are more than 13 billion natural cork wine closures sold into the world market each year, and the majority of those corks end up in landfill. Amorim’s program is designed to return some of those corks back into useful products such as footwear, flooring and even as soil amendment in compost.

“Natural cork wine closures are ideal for recycling. They are a natural product that is totally renewable. Cork trees are not cut down to make corks as some people think. They can be harvested every nine years during their 150-year lifespan. Cork is a natural retainer of CO2 and helps fight global warming. What’s not to like about cork?” asks Relogio.

Participating Admirals Club locations include: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago O’Hare, Miami, New York LaGuardia, New York JFK, Boston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Jose, Washington Reagan National, Washington Dulles, Raleigh/Durham, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Honolulu, Kansas City, Nashville, Newark, Orange County, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Juan.

About ReCork America and Corticeira Amorim
ReCork America is a wine cork recycling program sponsored by Corticeira Amorim of Portugal and Amorim’s US sales affiliates, Amorim Cork America and Portocork America.

Corticeira Amorim is the largest cork and cork-derived company in the world, generating over Euro 450 million in sales throughout more than 100 countries. Corticeira Amorim and its subsidiaries are an integral part of a conservation effort to guarantee the survival of hundreds of thousands of cork oak trees throughout the Mediterranean Basin. Amorim is proud of its contributions to the correct utilization of these important forests that represent a key role in CO2 retention, preserving biodiversity and preventing desertification. To learn more about Amorim and its sustainable business model, visit www.corkfacts.com

1 August 2009 - Felicity Murray