Portuguese brand Bioshoes believes there is a way to identify overconsumption within the fashion industry and take steps towards becoming more sustainable. To promote the potential of the footwear industry, the 'Knowledge Roadmap' promoted by APICCAPS, a Portuguese footwear brand, has been carrying out awareness campaigns in 86 schools across the country.
"This is a great opportunity to present the industry of the future and to raise young people's awareness of sustainability from an early age," said Paulo Gonçalves, coordinator of the BioShoes4all initiative.
The Knowledge Roadmap will run for three years and aims to help transform the footwear industry into a benchmark of the footwear industry that combines sophistication and sustainability. According to APICCAPS, it's crucial to tackle a series of stereotypes related to industrial sectors prevalent in Portugal. Despite overconsumption within the footwear industry being an international issue, the campaign is focused on Portugal for now.
"Data from the European Commission shows that the European fashion industry will need 500,000 new employees by 2030, which affects countries like Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. With the Knowledge Roadmap, we want to prepare the generations of the future and attract a new generation of talent."
In the project's first phase, the Knowledge Roadmap was aimed at primary school students, but it has since expanded to second and third-cycle students. The project targeted areas where the footwear industry was more prevalent, using local authorities as an example of the importance of the development of the educational program.
Data from 2022 shows that the footwear industry hires 40,730 people, with a growth of 8.7 percent, meaning there is a growing demand for skilled staff. APICCAPS will continue to promote a closer partnership with stakeholders and work with the Portuguese Footwear Technology Centre to develop more friendly technological solutions capable of attracting future generations.
