The integrated project "BioShoes4All – Innovation and empowerment of the footwear sector for the sustainable bioeconomy" aims to promote the transition of footwear industry to Bioeconomy and sustainable Circular Economy. Led by APICCAPS, it brings together 70 partners, namely:

• 12 footwear and leather goods companies
• 12 leather companies
• 12 materials and components companies
• 1 bio resource company
• 6 chemical companies
• 5 production technology and software companies
• 1 retail company
• 1 association/SME
• 20 ENESII

The Project foresees 5 Intervention Pillars (P) organized around concrete objectives, aiming at new bio and eco materials, products, processes, technologies, or services, structured in 11 Initiatives (I) and 23 Measures (M), ensuring the intrinsic coherence and complementarity of the proposed interventions.

The Project organization is designed to ensure that each outlined Pillar is multidisciplinary, but consistent. The integration of well-linked Initiatives and Measures, culminates in the development of products and solutions with high technological content, innovation and potential for adoption and economic valorisation by the Cluster companies, contributing to increasing their productivity and international competitiveness.

Website: BioShoes4All

Main Goals/Activities

The main objectives outlined are:

• Promote the transition of footwear sector to the bioeconomy and sustainable circular economy;
• New bio and eco materials, components and production processes;
• Footwear, leather goods: functional, durable, circular, with smaller environmental footprint;
• Advanced and digital production technologies (automation, robotization, in-situ recycling..);
• Solutions for recovery of production waste and post-consumer products;
• Reduce the environmental footprint of the chain/its products (carbon, water, "fossil", chemical);
• Implementation of industrial pilot lines, dissemination, demonstration of innovations;
• Promotion of sector training, development of content, execution of actions;
• Consumer engagement and awareness, promoting sustainable consumption;
• Broad promotion of footwear sector in the bioeconomy and circular economy (national and international).

In this Project, CeNTI is integrated into P1 (Biomaterials) – I1.1 (Bioleathers for footwear and leather goods) and M1.1.1 (Funcionalized bioleathers), specifically in Activity 4 – Heat Comfort Leather – bioleather with thermal comfort through improved heat reflection, where the aim is the development of new leathers with improved properties, as well as establishment of methodologies for measuring thermal comfort and characterizing/validating the properties of resulting products.

Code: N.º 02/C12-i01/2022

Project number: 2375

Funding programme.Dimension: Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Resilience 

Component: TC-C12-i01 – Sustainable Bioeconomy

Measure: Component 12 – Promoting Sustainable Bioeconomy

Consortium leader: Portuguese Association of Footwear, Components, Leather Goods and its Implements (APICCAPS) and Footwear Technological Centre of Portugal (CTCP)

Investiment (project): 72 715 508.31 €

Beneficiary entity: CeNTI – Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials

Investiment (beneficiary): 204 912.51€

Project duration: May of 2022 to December of 2025

RRP Website: PORTUGAL RECOVERY