1 To what extent is the cork industry guilty of complacency and a lack of innovation?
The cork industry is guilty of complacency and lack of innovation because they failed to recognize the changes in the wine industry. The wine industry was experiencing a revolution where new producers from Australia, California and Chile had new and different requirements. It took only a matter of years for the industry to change completely and the cork industry did not jump on the band wagon when it needed to. It allows the competition to get the edge.

2 If consumers love corks, why are the producers not providing what their customers want?
The reason being is because the wine industry has changed significantly over the past twenty years. The
8 Discuss the issues of sustainability and innovation in this ancient industry of the production of cork wine bottle closures.
The production of cork wine bottle closure can sustain because it is ecologically and economically beneficial. Cork oak forests have one of the largest biodiversity among the forests habitat and plants found anywhere in the world. It also hosts a rich diversity of fauna and acts as a shelter for wintering birds, especially the crane. Cork wine bottle closure is 100% renewal and recyclables and the trees are not cut down. The bark is the only harvested for the purpose of one tree can be up to two hundred years making the industry a near perfect example of reusable production. Everything is used hence minimize solid waste.

9 In terms of closures, what are the disadvantages that the cork industry needs to address and what are the advantages that it could promote?
The disadvantages that the cork industry needs to address are the time constraints in harvesting versus modern synthetic closure. There is also cork investment in the cork industry limits the flow of capital that could be used for the future development due to long term of ROI. Cork taint causes the change in quality and taste of the wine due to the cork sanitization. The cost of natural corks is higher than synthetic closure. Also the region in where cork is produce