International footwear and accessories trade fair, Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags, is championing the establishment of a traceability system for the footwear and leather goods sector.
Its objective is to ensure that "industry professionals exploring traceability-related issues and players in the production chain can agree on shared parameters that can guide them towards making products that are more attentive to the planet and people's social and economic well-being."
Chairman of the Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags Scientific Committee, Enrico Cietta, stated that traceability is a prerequisite for a sensible and lasting path towards sustainability for footwear and leather goods companies.
"Traceability is the essential approach to enable a broad and all-encompassing focus on the topic of sustainability. What do we mean by traceability? An information system linked to the value chain that collects predetermined and regulated data."
The 2023 Riva del Garda trade show will be used as a discussion forum for promoting a traceable supply chain, working towards creating guidelines and a system that is shared by the industry.
Cietta said that a trade show is perfect for outlining how a traceable system would operate because it is capable of bringing together an entire sector at an international level.
"The trade show becomes an instrument of cultural dissemination, making sustainability a powerful competitive weapon. It sends a strong signal to the entire industry, which will be increasingly incentivised to invest in sustainability."
More than 40 countries will be represented at the show's participating companies. The 2023 trade show will be held from 14 to 17 January at the Riva del Garda Exhibition centre in Italy.
