The largest footwear producer in the West, with a production of more than 850 million pairs every year, the Brazilian footwear industry had its sustainability attributes presented at an event held on the 12th at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington/USA. On the occasion, cases of companies certified by Sustainable Origin and the program itself were presented, the only one in the world to certify producers of the footwear chain with practices aligned with the ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) concepts. The action was supported by Brazilian Footwear, a program to promote footwear exports maintained by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and was held at the invitation of the Brazilian Embassy in the North American capital.

On the occasion, Abicalçados' project manager, Cristian Schlindwein, presented the Brazilian footwear industry, highlighting the potential of having a complete supply chain with internationally recognized quality, negotiation ease, flexibility for small to large batches, in addition to, of course, having sustainability as a growing premise both in the launch of products and in its production process. "Today, we have an industry committed to sustainability issues, not only in its environmental pillar, but also economic, social and cultural. Among footwear producing countries, Brazil is the country that emits the least CO2 and that uses the most renewable energy sources. Every year, more than R$ 450 million is invested in innovation actions, with more than half of this amount destined to sustainability”, he said.

According to Schlindwein, the fact of having a sustainable production instigated the two largest representative entities of the sector's production chain, Abicalçados and the Brazilian Association of Companies of Components for Leather, Footwear and Artifacts (Assintecal), to create Sustainable Origin, the only program in the world aimed at certifying companies with sustainable productions in the segment. Currently, the program has 104 indicators, which take into account the environmental, economic, social, cultural and sustainability-oriented management dimensions. “There are already more than 90 companies in the chain certified, which represent more than 45% of national production. The producting companies, in addition to making an important contribution to the planet, gain in competitiveness due to the image promotion and brand positioning before a consumer increasingly attentive to the issue of sustainability”, added the manager.

Repercussions
Brazil's ambassador in Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, stressed that "sustainability is the cause of our era" and that Sustainable Origin shows that the Brazilian footwear industry is ahead of international competitors in this regard. “This presentation is fundamental to show the world the attributes of national footwear, contributing not only to the image of the sector, but of our country, " she said.

The manager of ApexBrasil's office in Miami, Fernando Spohr, pointed out that the agency has been working strongly on the sustainability aspects of the Brazilian industry, contributing to international competitiveness. “We are oriented to seek projects such as Sustainable Origin, which present to the world an important differential of our industry. We are proud to support the promotion, " commented the manager.

Event
The "Brazilian Footwear presents Sustainable Origin" exhibition counted with the participation of companies certified in the Diamond (more than 80% of the indicators reached) and Gold (more than 60% of the indicators reached) levels of sustainable Origin: Piccadilly, Bibi, Bebecê, Ramarim, Usaflex, Calçados Beira Rio, Grendene, Pegada, Pampili and Tess. For more information: www.origemsustentavel.org.br.