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European footwear industry continues efforts to empower sustainable consumer choices

Feb 13, 2025 European Union

A set of materials to help consumers and companies in the footwear and apparel sectors identify and avoid misleading greenwashing claims is being finalised as part of the Erasmus+ VETting Green project

From the 21^st to the 23^rdof January, the Erasmus+ VETting Green project consortium gathered in Padua, Italy, to finalise a set of materials and tools to empower consumers and companies in the footwear and apparel sectors to identify and avoid misleading greenwashing claims. The consortium comprises footwear producers, vocational training providers, and consumer representatives from Belgium, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Specifically, the partners participated in a training session to prepare coaches for the VETting Green Training Platform. This online course consists of six comprehensive modules offering a mix of theoretical and practical content covering a range of topics including the current landscape of sustainability, green marketing versus greenwashing, effective green marketing strategies, eco-design and sustainable design principles, and sustainable materials and tools.

The platform will be piloted through a combination of online and in-person workshops, accompanied by the development of a training platform coaches guide, a questionnaire, and a strategic roadmap. More results will be unveiled in October 2025.

The Erasmus+ VETting Green project is in line with the European Union’s efforts to combat greenwashing and will be supported by the Green Claims Directive, which is expected to be adopted in the first half of 2025. The European Commission is also working on the introduction of the Digital Product Passport for consumer products, which will include detailed environmental information and transparency on products and their companies.

Combined with the Ecodesign of Sustainable Products Regulation, these measures are expected to help reduce the environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle.

For more informatin, visit the project's website.

Image Credits: greenqueen.com.hk

CEC European Union Education & Training Environment Footwear Sustainability