Studying abroad over the winter break was not what I expected. Even with COVID, we had the opportunity to enjoy many UNESCO locations and visit companies. The businesses we were able to visit were a cork farm, an olive oil farm (Courela do Zambujeiro), two wineries (Taylor’ Cellar & Quinta do Tedo), and a textile company (Impetus). We also had a zoom call with a representative from Amorim (a lead producer of cork) and visited the Museum of Vista Alegre (a high-quality porcelain company).
Cork is a large industry in Portugal. The visit to the cork farm and zoom call with Amorim, highlighted the process to create cork. It was interesting to learn that cork comes from a cork tree, and harvesting the material does not harm the tree if done properly. On this trip, I learned that cork can be used for much more than just wine bottles. Cork can be used to create products such as sandals, bags, hats, and even chocolate wrappers. Since cork has high heat resistance, it is even being used for space! Sustainability was a big aspect of the cork industry and something that the owners of cork farms and cork companies pride themselves on.
Sustainability is also something that the textile company was promoting. There were t-shirt materials made from recycled cloth and the waste of the own companies material. In addition, the heat created by many of the machines was used to heat the building in the winter or utilized for the clothing production process! The creativity placed into supporting sustainability and reducing an impact on the environment was amazing.
Despite being such a tiny country, Portugal has great influence in industries and places great importance on sustainability!