Brazilian footwear makers excel at ESG
Brazil-based certification the Sustainable Origin, which certifies practices aligned with ESG (environmental, social and governance) metrics in the footwear production chain, has grown by 75% in the past year, now reaching 100 footwear makers and their suppliers.
Based on sustainability practices, there are 104 indicators in five categories: economic, environmental, social, cultural and sustainability management.
These companies, according to a survey by footwear association Abicalçados, account for 45% of national footwear production, or 848 million pairs last year.
Haroldo Ferreira, CEO of Abicalçados, said Brazilian companies are increasingly looking for internationally recognised certifications, adding footwear makers in the country are among the world's most sustainable.
A survey by Abicalçados revealed 95% of respondents already minimise waste by recycling or even transforming leftover materials into fertilizers or construction material. Almost two thirds use 100% renewable electricity, while 74% map greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of reducing them.
Silvana Dilly, from Brazil’s association for footwear components manufacturers, Assintecal, added: “The ESG movement is an international reality and is increasingly present in the footwear production chain. Companies that do not adapt to these new times will find it difficult to survive. Sustainability is not a differential, it is an essential condition for competitiveness.”
Image: One of the largest footwear producers, Calçados Beira Rio, from Novo Hamburgo, has a Diamond certification.
