Stella McCartney Satin Cork Platform Sandals in Sunflower

What makes cork such an excellent component for eco friendly shoes is that cork is an environmentally friendly renewable material. It is produced from the bark of the Cork Oak tree that grows primarily around the Mediterranean Sea region. After the trees reach 25 years of maturity, the cork is harvested every nine years; the quality of cork gets better as the trees age. Cork is a perfect material for shoes because it is lightweight, dense, impermeable, resilient and provides good cushioning and support for the foot. One of the qualities I find most impressive about eco friendly shoe designers like Stella McCartney is their daring approach to using sustainable materials to finely craft wearable glamorous shoes. Stella’s Spring Summer 2010 collection captures the simpleness and conveys the versatility of cork in the high fashion style we’ve come to expect from her.

Cork’s most notable use has been for stoppers in wine bottles. But, if you’re wondering what to do with your corks, I encourage you to explore ReCork America’s natural wine cork recycling program by visiting recork.org. This recycling program is being sponsored by Corticeira Amorim of Portugal, the world’s largest producers of natural wine corks. ReCork America is collaborating with with American Airlines Admirals Club(®)/Sodexo, The Wine Tasting Network, Wholefoods and others to collect corks that may have otherwise ended up in landfills. Instead, these corks can be re-purposed for shoes, flooring, insulation and myriad of other uses.

Stella McCartney Linda Wedge Sandal

Strap up, sling back and pop a cork!

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~Ar