Within the scope of the BioShoes4ALL project, in the next three years, around 50 new products "with a better ecological footprint" will be developed, "25 industrial pilot lines will be implemented, more than 50 publications will be edited, and a large number of dissemination, promotion and training actions will be carried out", revealed the coordinator of the BioShes4All project Maria José Ferreira.

In her view, it will be possible to develop plant bio fibres and bio fillers to create new materials and components, chemical bioproducts for leather, new materials and footwear, bio leather for footwear and leather goods desirably up to 100% biological or functionalized (e.g., resistant to microorganisms or heat), or alternative materials to leather for the exterior and lining of uppers, belts, and bags.

Additionally, an investment will be made in the development of "biopolymers and biological materials, of natural or synthesized origin, for soles, midsoles or accessories, thermoplastics, thermosets and recycled composites for components, soles, insoles or shoes, new adhesives, new products of leather goods and ecological footwear with a smaller environmental footprint, as well as tools for sustainability, traceability or circularity, in advanced and eco-efficient technologies for the production of leather, materials, components, footwear and leather goods, in the recycling of post-consumer footwear".

About BioShoes4ALL

"The BioShoes4All project has the ambition of inducing a radical change in materials, technologies, processes, and products of footwear and leather goods, generating sustainable solutions, economically valuable internationally", stated Maria José Ferreira. For that end, it is supported by the consortium of excellence that we established [APICCAPS and CTCP], with 70 partners from different sectors, from biological resources, materials, chemicals, components, footwear, leather goods, to producers of production technologies and software, waste valuers, traders and retailers, which, altogether, will share resources, risks, and opportunities”.

Co-financed by the RRP (Portuguese Recovery and Resilience plan) measure C12 sustainable bioeconomy, the project "aims at the development and production of new biomaterials and components, anchored in the principles of the circular bioeconomy and sustainable development in all its dimensions, creating differentiated solutions that are valued by both clients and consumers, helping catalyse a new sustainable bio-based economy, the efficient valorisation of national and regional bio-resources and decarbonization".

It also means to foster the "design and implementation of new approaches and technologies designed for minimizing and valorising post-production and post-consumption waste, as well as the agile and eco-efficient production of materials, components, footwear and leather goods with a smaller environmental footprint, recycled and recyclable, in the context of a circular green economy, favouring increased of materials’ life cycles, the more efficient management of material and energetic resources, carbon neutrality and the fight against climate change”.

In her view, BioShoes4All, is expected to contribute to "the cluster's ambition to remain at the forefront of research & innovation in new market segments for value-added products favoured by the population, which is increasingly informed and demanding, seeking products that are more environmentally friendly, recycled, bio-based as an alternative to fossil-based materials, products with fashion, technical, functional, customized and traceable content that meet the requirements and wishes of customers and consumers, contributing to the decarbonization and the double climate and digital transition, solving identified constraints and seizing emerging opportunities", she concluded.