Brazilian footwear industry was highlighted at the 25th Latin American Footwear Forum, held on June 22nd and 23rd

The largest footwear manufacturer in the West, the Brazilian footwear industry was highlighted at the 25th Latin American Footwear Forum, held on June 22nd and 23rd, in Cúcuta/Colombia. In addition to representatives of the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), executives from the footwear industries of Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Chile, El Salvador, Venezuela, Uruguay and Nicaragua participated in the event.

On the occasion, Abicalçados' project manager, Cristian Schlindwein, presented the Sustainable Origin program, the only one in the world to certify companies in the footwear production chain with ESG practices. “We showed the Brazilian leadership in sustainability not only in Latin America, but in the world. We have a sustainable industry, in the environmental, economic and social pillars, and all the conditions to be an international reference in the production of an environmentally friendly footwear and produced from processes that respect human rights. ESG practices, in addition to their environmental and social relevance, can bring competitiveness gains, especially in the face of Asian footwear, which does not have these increasingly relevant attributes for the international consumer”, the manager mentioned, stressing that there are already over 100 companies certified or in the process of certification.

Unfair competition
Another topic widely discussed at the meeting was the unfair competition imposed by Asian footwear and also by international digital platforms, which in many cases circumvent the payment of taxes in the countries of operation, competing unfairly and destroying national industries. “This is a common problem in Latin American footwear-producing countries, " said Abicalçados' CEO Haroldo Ferreira. Despite being a very common problem in the countries of the continent, only Brazil, Argentina and Peru maintain antidumping defense mechanisms against footwear imported from China.

BFSHOW
At the meeting, Ferreira also presented the Brazilian Footwear Show-BFSHOW, a fair promoted by Abicalçados in partnership with NürnbergMesse Brasil that will have its first edition between November 21st and 23rd, at the Event Center of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Fiergs). “The fair was a market demand and will be a meeting point for Made in Brazil footwear to the world. Now, like associations such as Assocalzaturefici (Italy), which promotes Micam Milano, and several footwear chambers in Latin America that have their own fairs, the green-yellow footwear sector also has its own fair, focused on business and that reverts the funds generated in development actions for the activity”, highlights the executive.

Integration
The executive president of the Colombian Association of Footwear, Leather and Manufacturing industries (Acicam), German Gonzales, highlights the importance of the meeting of the chambers to discuss experiences and joint solutions aimed at strengthening the footwear bloc in the countries. "The Forum is a moment to share experiences with associations from member countries and also to show the economic and social strength of the footwear industry in Latin America,” he commented. Acicam was the host entity of the event.

The coordinator of the Association of Footwear Chambers of Latin America (Accal), who also presides over the Footwear Chamber of Argentina, Daniel Risafi, reinforced the relevance of bringing together some of the main representative organizations of footwear not only in the continent, but in the world. “We exchanged very positive experiences and drew attention to the sustainability work carried out by the Brazilian industry, through Sustainable Origin,” he said.

The next Forum will be in Brazil
At the event, it was also defined that the next Latin American Footwear Forum will take place in Brazil, during the second edition of BFSHOW, in May 2024, in São Paulo/SP.