What new paths lie ahead for the footwear industry? What does the future hold? How can Portugal position itself internationally to face new challenges? Will sustainability be in the spotlight over the next years? These were some of the questions addressed at the conference “New Paths for the Footwear Industry”, organised by Jornal de Notícias and APICCAPS in December.
Against the backdrop of the Palácio do Freixo, in Porto, the conference discussed the past, present, and future of the Portuguese footwear industry. According to João Maia, general manager of APICCAPS, “there are currently 1500 footwear companies in Portugal, employing around 40,000 people, with 140 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) available to support projects”.
On top of this, Diogo Agostinho, the director of the Global Media Group, pointed out that “the footwear sector generates 2,000 million euros in business” and should be seen as “thriving and dynamic by excellence”, and even as an “example to follow”.
Maria José Ferreira, director of research and quality at the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal (CTCP), in turn, presented the main guidelines of the BioShoes4All project, which is based on five pillars: biomaterials, ecological footwear, circular economy, cutting-edge production technologies, and training and promotion.
With a budget of 80 million euros, BioShoes4All aims to be “the driving force for major changes in the sector”, and for Portugal’s recognition and affirmation abroad. Always with sustainability at the heart of the companies’ business philosophy.
According to Maria José Ferreira, a total of 50 new products and 20 industrial lines are being developed as part of a consortium that brings together 70 partners. “The goal is to encourage Portuguese footwear and the companies in the industry to be a benchmark in the development sustainable solutions at a global level”, stated the representative of the CTCP.
A new generation of projects
“A new generation of products” was the motto for the first panel of the afternoon. The four heads of national companies, all women, explained how they had implemented some of these innovations in their companies, intending to modernise and protect the environment.
This is the case of Savana, which, as Luísa Silva describes it, has created a “sustainable shoe without laces, with a bamboo lining, a cork insole, with a recyclable foam shell, and a cut made of apple peel, intended for blind children with Braille lettering, which joins others of its kind, such as those made with reused coffee bags”.
Joana Meireles, from Atlanta, emphasised that “good environmental practices are increasingly taken into account by consumers” and that the only company that stands out is the one that “uses products with low impact” on nature and promotes this policy with processes such as internal recycling.
On the other hand, Luísa Sousa, general manager at Monteiro Footwear, part of Grupo Monteiro Ribas, presented a “successful innovative project” in which shoes were made from chestnut shells and olive pit waste.
Filipa Couto, of Trofal, recalled that her company was a pioneer in the “use of vegetable-tanned leather and water-based soles”, and that it continues to argue that leather is the best raw material for footwear production.
Generation 5.0
Who are the new faces of the industry? At a time when the importance of people in the industry is being emphasised with projects such as industry 5.0, ESG, etc., the purpose of the panel was to get to know three “hands-on” young players and to understand how Portugal can position itself internationally in the face of the industry’s challenges.
Alexandre Pimenta, from Solpré, Joana Esteves, from Josefinas, and Pedro Abrantes, from As Portuguesas, were the faces and voices of the new generation now working in the sector.
At Solpré, “a level of exclusivity with the client based on environmental commitment” is adopted, as explained by Alexandre Pimenta, CEO of the company. Meanwhile, Pedro Abrantes, founder of As Portuguesas, recalled the happy example of launching footwear with a “cork and rubber mix sole”, that became a sales success in 36 countries. From day one, Josefinas wanted to “help make dreams come true”, standing out for its “investment in social sustainability”, namely for “perpetuating the art of our master shoemakers”, reveals Joana Esteves. To add to this, the ballerinas’ brand has multiple social projects and has as its main goal to empower women all over the world.
Communicating for sustainability
António Custódio, Irina Chitas, and Joana Jorge, from Moda Lisboa, presented Good Communication Practices, in which they outlined multiple strategies that could be fundamental in the short and medium term to give national footwear a greater global projection.
“Talking less, but concisely and transparently is fundamental”, they pointed out. Hence the need to find new and faster strategies to reach large masses of consumers. This is a process of brand sharing based on three ideas: “knowledge, purpose, and target audience”. This will create “a brand identity, that empowers and differentiates it”, and can make it successful in an increasingly competitive market where the national footwear industry want to continue to gain market share.
One of us
The conference closed with Paulo Gonçalves presenting the new Portuguese Shoes campaign for 2024.
Destiny, 28, model and poet. Yuri, 64, model and painter. Peter, 62, musician and model. Heidi, 21, actress and model. These are the protagonists of the new Portuguese Shoes campaign. They are part of the 80 million people who buy and wear Portuguese shoes every year on five continents. And that’s what they have in common. They are one of us”.
The footwear industry presents to the world One of Us, the new campaign to promote Portuguese footwear on international markets. Through the lens of Frederico Martins, styling by Fernando Bastos Pereira, production by Snowberry, and the support of the PRR, the new campaign aims to bring everyone together around a common passion: national footwear.
One thing is certain: the future is being built with solid steps. And there are two fundamental ingredients: on the one hand, a commitment to environmental sustainability throughout the value chain, and, on the other, the creation of valuable conditions for consolidating Portugal’s position in the context of the internationalisation of a sector of the economy with growth potential and amidst a constant wave of innovation.