The Plakton brand
After the Igor brand, today we present one of the best selling brands in Pituka - Plakton!
Founded in 1995, the global brand Plakton is dedicated to the production and distribution of comfort cork sandals , exclusively handcrafted in Spain. Their specialty is the production of shoes with cork insoles , the material they use in almost all the products they create, making them comfortable, natural and ergonomic.
Plakton is a brand concerned with nature, and this principle is its point of differentiation. The use of cork and the entire surrounding process reinforces this characteristic, as we will see below!
The cork used in the manufacture of footwear comes 49.6% from Portugal and 30.5% from Spain, totaling 200,000 tons per year . Its harvest, in both countries, is an old process that can only be done by specialists – the strippers – so as not to damage the tree. Let's look at the interesting stages of harvesting:
- Opening – Making a vertical cut made in the bark of the cork oak trunk;
- Separation – The ax is placed between the cork and the inner bark of the trunk with the aim of separating;
- Division – Preparation of a horizontal cut that defines the size of the cork to be removed;
- Extraction – Once defined, the cork is carefully extracted from the tree, so that it does not split and “break”;
- Removal – After extraction, some fragments remain stuck in the trunk, requiring the stripper to remove them;
- Marking – Finally, the tree is marked with the last number of the year in which it was harvested;
After harvesting, the cork boards removed from the cork oak need “rest”. They are stacked and remain in the sun, wind and rain, avoiding contact with the ground. The objective of this final phase is to harden and stabilize the cork, and this process never lasts less than 6 months.
What did you think of this method?
Plakton is undoubtedly an environmentally friendly brand!
