Category rating — not an assessment of any specific brand
This rating covers a typical, mass-market
home & garden product based on publicly available data.
It does not name or assess any specific manufacturer or product.
Individual products may perform better or worse.
Learn about verified ratings →
Below HIP Mark threshold
Score 5.2/10 — Standard mark requires 6.0
Standard
Silver
Gold
Category best achievable: 7.7
Renewable — materials come from sources that can be renewed
This is what a typical cork product looks like today. It uses materials that hold up better than average. If the maker shares their data, the score usually goes up.
Category baseline
5.2 HIP
Below Standard
Category ceiling: 7.7 HIP
Regenerative Index
0.0
Renewable
Category ceiling RI: 0.0
What this score means
This is the starting score for Cork Products, based only on public data. No maker has sent us
their own data yet. The ceiling score (shown below) is what a product can reach when the maker
shares real evidence. To close the gap, makers apply for a verified rating.
Make this product? You can raise this score.
The starting score for this category is 5.2 HIP.
With full evidence, a product in this category can reach 7.7 HIP.
Our first verified product scored 6.9 and earned the HIP Mark.
Share your product data and we score what you can prove.
Apply for verified assessment
What to Check Before You Buy
- Look for FSC-certified cork or declared Portuguese origin. Portuguese cork forests are the world's most sustainably managed cork source; other origins carry higher deforestation risk.
- Check for OEKO-TEX or similar certification on adhesives and treatments. Cork that is glued or coated with synthetic finishes carries residue risks; certification confirms the treatments are within safe limits.
- Confirm the product is natural cork, not composite with EVA or synthetic rubber. Composite materials degrade at different rates and are harder to recycle; pure cork is biodegradable.
- Look for undyed or naturally pigmented cork where possible. Synthetic dyes in cork are difficult to process at end-of-life.
Score Breakdown
How rare are the materials?
MSI · 20%
9.5
Why this score ▸
The product relies exclusively on cork bark, a renewable bio-based material sourced from Portugal, which is not listed on the EU Critical Raw Materials list. The absence of critical minerals and the use of a sustainably sourced primary material align with exemplary criteria, though the lack of submitted recycled content percentage and material distribution data necessitates a conservative adjustment.
Where do the materials come from?
SCR · 18%
4.0
Why this score ▸
Primary materials are sourced from Portugal, Spain, and Morocco, which generally have stable governance, but the absence of a submitted due-diligence standard prevents verification of specific material origins or risk mitigation. The supply chain relies on a single tier-1 supplier count of two without documented third-party audits, placing the assessment at the pre-verification baseline for this category.
Can it be recycled?
RC · 18%
3.0
Why this score ▸
The product is a cork item with a take-back scheme, but lacks a compliant recycling label and has a low practical recovery rate of 15%. While the take-back scheme supports material recovery, the absence of standard labeling and the low percentage of streams entering practical recycling limits the score to the lower end of the poorly recyclable band.
Can you fix it?
R · 13%
2.0
Why this score ▸
The product is a cork item with mixed fasteners including clips, and spare parts are not available from the manufacturer. No public service manual exists, and the product falls outside EU Ecodesign scope, resulting in a score consistent with sealed consumer goods or fashion accessories designed for replacement.
Is it made fairly?
SEI · 8%
5.0
Why this score ▸
The product holds FSC certification for cork sourcing, indicating responsible material management. However, manufacturing occurs in China, a moderate-risk jurisdiction, and no third-party labour audits (such as RBA) or ISO 14001 environmental certifications were submitted to verify social compliance or environmental management systems.
How long will it last?
PL · 8%
8.0
Why this score ▸
The product benefits from an exceptional 10-year warranty and a stated design life of 10 years, meeting the criteria for the 'Designed for Life' category. Manufactured in Portugal, the item demonstrates a strong commitment to longevity through its extended warranty and design specifications, distinguishing it from typical mass-market goods.
Does it give back to nature?
RI · 15% · scale −10 to +10
0.0
Why this score ▸
The product qualifies for the Renewable band (0) because it utilizes FSC-certified cork, a primary material sourced sustainably without tree cutting, which prevents depletion of natural capital. While a take-back and end-of-life programme are present, the absence of Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) inputs or verified closed-loop restoration programmes means the score does not reach the Restorative or Regenerative bands. It is not Depleting because the material origin is renewable and certified, nor is it Extractive as the primary inputs are not non-renewable.
MSI 20% · SCR 18% · RC 18% · R 13% · SEI 8% · PL 8% · RI 15% = 100%
About the HIP Methodology ▸
Starting scores are low on purpose. We only count what we can confirm from public data,
so most products sit between 2 and 4 out of 10 before a maker shares their own evidence.
That gap between the starting score and what a product could reach is the whole point.
When a maker proves what their product is really made of, the score goes up.
The HIP Mark shows it has been checked.
Read the full methodology →
Consumer Summary
This cork product achieves a HIP Score of 5.2 out of 10, which aligns with the current market baseline for home and garden items. It earns a Regenerative Index of 0, reflecting its use of FSC-certified cork sourced from sustainable forests. While the material itself is renewable, the product's overall sustainability is balanced by mixed fasteners and limited end-of-life options.
What This Means For You
When shopping for cork goods, look for items with clear FSC certification to ensure the bark is harvested responsibly. Prioritize products that offer long warranties and spare parts availability to extend their usable life. Be aware that even renewable materials may have lower scores if they lack take-back schemes or use non-recyclable components.
Data Transparency
This is a category rating based on publicly available data. The following data fields were not submitted by a manufacturer and have been estimated conservatively using open reference data and the category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation):
material_percentagesrecycled_content_pctdue_diligence_standarddisassembly_typerecyclable_streams_pctrecycling_label_compliantdesign_for_disassemblyifixit_scoreecodesign_in_scopeservice_manual_publicspare_parts_years_committedip_ratingmodular_designsoftware_support_yearsregenerative_certificationsclosed_loop_programme
A verified rating uses manufacturer-submitted data and produces a more accurate, product-specific score.
Material Watch Points
- No due-diligence programme documented
- Limited supplier diversification with only two tier-1 suppliers
How this score was calculated
The HIP Score is a weighted average of seven dimensions measuring material
resilience, supply chain integrity, and end-of-life characteristics.
| Code |
Dimension |
Weight |
Score |
| MSI |
Material Scarcity Index |
0.20 |
9.5 / 10 |
| SCR |
Supply Chain Risk |
0.18 |
4.0 / 10 |
| RC |
Recyclability and Circularity |
0.18 |
3.0 / 10 |
| R |
Repairability |
0.13 |
2.0 / 10 |
| SEI |
Social and Environmental Impact |
0.08 |
5.0 / 10 |
| PL |
Product Longevity |
0.08 |
8.0 / 10 |
| RI |
Regenerative Index |
0.15 |
— (raw) |
Regenerative Index note: RI scores on a unique scale of -10 to +10.
Before weighting, the raw score is normalised: RI normalised = (RI raw + 10) / 2.
This product's RI band is Renewable.
Weighted HIP Score: 5.2 / 10
· Methodology v1.5
Base weights shown. Some product types use category-specific weight profiles —
see full methodology for details.
Read the full methodology →
Data Sources
This rating draws on the following public sources:
USGS Mineral Resources Program (public domain) · EU Critical Raw Materials List 2023 (CC BY 4.0) · World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation)
All sources are public domain or published under open data licences.
Full source list →
About this rating:
HIP scores are based on public data at the date shown.
They show how well a product holds up over time — not a promise about safety or future supply.
Resourcehip is not liable for choices made based on these ratings.
Scope:
This is a category rating for Cork Products and does not assess any specific brand or manufacturer.
Individual products may perform better or worse than this baseline.
Produced under Resourcehip Scoring Methodology 1.5 (CC BY-NC 4.0).
AI disclosure:
An AI model scored this rating on our own hardware — no data was sent to the cloud.
A human reviewer checked and approved it before it went live.
Model: qwen3.5:35b.
AI transparency notice →
Not financial or investment advice.
Ratings are for consumer information only.
Dispute this rating · Our methodology · All ratings
Assessed: 2026-06-17 · Next review: 2027-04-29 · Methodology 1.5
