Cork is a sustainable, skin-friendly natural material with outstanding technical properties. Our Climatocork technology ensures excellent wearing comfort, optimal moisture regulation, and a healthy, hygienic shoe environment.
A previous Journal article examined various causes of inadequate in-shoe climate, their effects on the feet, and potential solutions. This also brought into focus the question of which material could meet the high demands of comfort, functionality, and sustainability.
For us, the answer was clear: It had to be a material that combines technical performance with skin and environmental compatibility. Our choice was cork – a natural material with impressive properties. It offers excellent wearing comfort, is gentle on the skin, and is obtained through sustainable methods. In the truest sense of the word, cork is a renewable resource – and precisely the material we had been looking for.
Cork is obtained from the bark of cork oak trees, most of which are found in Portugal. Starting at around 25 years of age, these trees are stripped of their bark every nine years. The bark regenerates, which means that no trees have to be felled. The cork industry operates with remarkable sustainability: harvesting follows clearly defined principles that ensure the trees are treated gently and not harmed.
Beyond this, cork oak forests play an essential ecological role. They provide habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species, help regulate the water cycle, and protect the soil. In addition, the trees are capable of storing significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
Now to some fascinating technical facts about natural cork that make it truly unique. Thanks to its honeycomb-like and flexible cell structure, cork offers excellent shock absorption. Just one cubic centimeter contains 40 million of these air-filled, closed microcells.
As a result, cork consists of around 90% air by volume and approximately 50% by mass – making it about five times lighter than water. This trapped air also gives cork outstanding insulating properties – effective against both heat and cold. Cork is so efficient in this regard that it’s even used as a heat shield in space applications. Its naturally antibacterial properties also promote a hygienic in-shoe environment.
Natural cork is an exceptional material – and almost perfect for use in footwear. The only limitation: cork is highly water-repellent by nature and therefore has little capacity to absorb moisture. Still, its many other benefits were so compelling that we chose it as the base for our footbed in granulated form. This high-grade cork granulate is made from the punched remnants left over from the production of champagne corks.
To give cork the ability to absorb and store moisture, we developed a special process over several years – the result: Climatocork. Through a unique manufacturing method, we transform the natural cork granulate into an anatomically shaped footbed that impresses in the shoe with its low weight, effective shock absorption, excellent insulation, and outstanding moisture absorption.
Other companies also use granulated cork in footbeds and insoles. The key difference lies in the construction: in most cases, cork is used merely as a filler and mixed with latex. This combination is not capable of absorbing foot moisture – at best, the top layer (leather or synthetic material) may offer some absorption. The result is a familiar one: sweaty, cold feet and unpleasant odors.
Climatocork is fundamentally different. Here, the top layer is not glued to the cork base, but both components are joined without an adhesive layer using our specialized manufacturing process. This allows foot moisture to pass through the surface material directly into the cork base, where it is temporarily stored. After taking off the shoes, the moisture is gradually released back into the surrounding air – so that the shoes feel fresh again the next day.
Naturally, for hygienic reasons, the footbed should be replaced regularly. That’s why all of our shoes are designed with a practical exchange system – the footbed can be easily and conveniently swapped at any time.
Climatocork also proves its strength with regard to the issue of harmful substances in footwear – a topic we covered in the previous Journal article. The material is not only functionally impressive but also demonstrably skin-friendly. This has been confirmed through rigorous testing by the independent Testing and Research Institute (PFI) in Pirmasens.
Function, comfort, and skin compatibility make the Climatocork footbed the ideal foundation for most people – but some feet require a more individualized solution. How the Climatocork footbed can be individually adapted is the topic of our next Journal article.
