Just a year ago, the footwear sector, through APICCAPS and CTCP, presented the “Action Plan for Sustainability in the Footwear Industry in Portugal”. In this document dozens of measures were presented and a particularly ambitious goal was defined: Portugal wants to be the major international reference in the development of sustainable solutions in the footwear sector.

“It is a unique document in the Portuguese economy, seeking to create a structured sectoral thinking, aiming to respond, in an integrated way, to the different domains of sustainability. This document is an essential tool for the strategic repositioning of the sector in the international competitive scene”, underlined Luís Onofre, President of APICCAPS.
 
In practical terms, this action plan is divided into three axes (Planet, People and Companies), and it has more than 12 measures, distributed over about 50 actions. "Our objective is for the Portuguese footwear industry to be a leader in the development of sustainable solutions", Mr. Onofre added. Development of new materials, traceability of raw materials, product information, environmental footprint of products or energy efficiency are some of the actions to be developed.
 
“The past year has been very demanding, but the process of innovation and development of new solutions has not slowed down. It was a decisive year for the creation of a network of more than 50 partners between companies, entities in the scientific and technological system or even universities”, said Maria José Ferreira, coordinator of the “Action Plan for Sustainability in the Footwear Industry in Portugal”.

It is now important to share the main findings of the work done and start to implement new solutions. For this reason, APICCAPS and CTCP will promote, from the 1^st to the 5^th of February, the “Week of Environmental Responsibility in the Footwear Industry”, which has the main objective of presenting new developments allowing the sector to reduce the ecological footprint.
 
It is an essentially digital event, with varied debates on topics such as energy efficiency, circular economy or new materials, welcoming more than 150 specialists from different countries.

Portuguese Minister of the Environment and Climate Action, João Matos Fernandes, will officially open this thematic week, which will also count with in-depth interventions by international entities such as H&M or Cotance, the European Confederation of the Leather Industry.

Program and registration available HERE.