Canadian company looks to turn recycled wine corks to shoes

(Tri-Cityherald) - Time is running out on the crowd-funding campaign launched by a Vancouver footwear company seeking to create carbon-neutral shoes made with used wine corks.

SOLE has partnered since 2009 with ReCORK, a wine cork recycling plant in Napa, Calif., for material to create men's and women's Cork Flips. Portuguese cork producer Amorim sponsors ReCORK.

However, last month, SOLE rolled out a Kickstarter initiative of $150,000 to fund a new line that would begin with the production of 1,200 pairs of shoes. The men's casual lace-up shoe would be called Tour, while the women's flats would be named Grace.

"Natural cork is already one of the world's most sustainable and environmentally friendly products," said Mike Baker, founder and CEO of SOLE, said in a news release. "The ability to turn used wine corks into durable and attractive footwear is an elegant way to extend the lifecycle of this remarkable raw material while providing consumers with a terrific new product that literally lightens their carbon footprint."

Their campaign began Oct. 29 with a deadline of Nov. 27. On Sunday, there were 191 backers who pledged a total of $19,180 -- which leaves them 10 days to raise more than $130,000. If the campaign is successful, those who pledged at the $99 level will receive one pair of shoes.
ReCORK claims to work with more than 1,800 collections centers in the United States and reports more than 45 million corks have been recycled. The five-year-old Napa company also said it has re-invested in the European cork industry and is responsible for the planting of 8,000 cork trees.