Sergio Dulio: all UITIC gatherings are unforgettable, but the next congress will set new standards

As the global footwear industry faces challenges and opportunities related to global competitiveness, sustainability and artificial intelligence (AI), the 22^nd UITIC Congress, which will feature factory tours on the last day of August 2025, followed by the indoor conference on the first days of September, in Shanghai, China, promises to set the stage for transformative discussions.

The year 2025 will mark 12 years since the last UITIC Congress in China. The "China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) had already expressed its intention to host the forthcoming Congress after the edition in Porto in 2018, but the pandemic hit, and UITIC had to interrupt its regular cadence of congresses every two years until the last gathering in Milan 2023. However, at the last gathering in Milan, when CLIA confirmed its intention to organise the 22^nd edition of the Congress, it was a natural and very welcome choice", Dulio explains.

The decision also underscores China’s pivotal role in the global footwear landscape. The country’s rapid development, particularly in manufacturing technologies across all industries, including footwear, provides a unique opportunity to revisit and compare advancements since the last Congress in 2013. He believes that with "these renewed contacts and frequentations, we can strengthen the collaboration between China and the international community".

According to Dulio, three key keywords will define the 2025 Congress. Competitiveness "because in a business scenario of profound changes, particularly in the way we will have to deal in future with a de-globalisation trend that is becoming more and more evident, companies will have to maintain their competitiveness at all costs, using all the available technologies that are in the current portfolio", the President of UITIC shares.

"But this cannot happen without adopting virtuous behaviours," – he continues – "with respect for the environment, to achieve growth without depleting the planet from its resources". Therefore, building on the discussions in the last Congress in Milan, sustainability is another keyword that will mark its presence in the 2025 Congress, especially when combined with technological tools, such as artificial intelligence.

"AI is already pervasive; it is everywhere, and we want to explore how this game-changing technology will affect the design and manufacturing of shoes", Dulio comments. The keynote on the application of AI to footwear design in Milan, 2023, as an introduction to this topic, and the 2025 Congress will include the Innovation Showcase initiative, "where we want to present mainly applications of AI in the footwear sector, and we want to show them at work".

Sustainability remains at the forefront of UITIC’s agenda. Dulio emphasises the importance of the "twin transition", integrating sustainability with digital innovation. "The congress in Shanghai will be a marvellous opportunity to compare the approaches adopted in the different parts of the world and to see how companies are using them to be more competitive and at the same time more sustainable", he shares.

The Congress will also expand on the environmental, social and governance framework, focusing on environmental protection, social responsibility and good governance, an approach known as ESG. "Sustainability is certainly a global concern for all industries and footwear is no exception, but it is also a great opportunity to adopt virtuous behaviours through the implementation of modern technologies", Dulio asserts.

"We are in the process of defining the detailed topics for the next Congress", with the Scientific Committee set to begin its work shortly. Its first output will be the Call for Papers, which is expected to be open between the end of this year and the beginning of the next. This document will outline the specific topics for the two-day indoor conference’s technical sessions.

Beyond the conference sessions, Shanghai provides an exceptional environment for the event. This vibrant city captures the essence of modern China's development. "As usual, attendees will be offered a complete program of factory tours that will take us to visit research and academic centres as well as manufacturing hubs", Dulio shares. There will be also a gala dinner e hosted aboard a boat, sailing along the Huangpu River at sunset.

"So, there will definitely be more than just learning about the technological advancements that will make the 2025 Congress a not to miss event. All UITIC gatherings are unforgettable, but this one will set new standards thanks to the commitment and hard work of our colleagues from CLIA", the President of UITIC asserts.

Looking to the future, Dulio hopes that the Congress will leave a lasting mark on the industry. Since its beginning, he says, UITIC has been at the forefront of the most significant technological advances in the footwear sector since its creation. “We first covered the advent of automation back in the eighties, we anticipated the impact of globalisation, dealt with corporate social responsibility when the ESG acronym still had to be coined”, Dulio shares.

In a world of complex transformations, the 22^nd Congress aims to explore how disruptive technologies, such as AI, can take us forward when carefully adapted and governed. With this focus on innovation, sustainability and global collaboration, the 22nd UITIC Congress is poised to be a landmark event that will shape the future of the footwear industry.