For years, discussions about sustainable footwear have focused solely on the production stage: adhesives, materials, machine energy consumption and so on. What happened afterwards, once the finished shoe left the factory, remained outside the scope of consideration. This was noted by one of the guests who visited the construction site of the Changli Smart Logistics Park in Jinjiang on 25 October 2026, during the 14th Global Footwear Sustainability Summit (GFSS): until recently, sustainability was sought within the factory, whereas it is logistics that is the key area for reducing emissions. Among the visitors were New Balance, Arsutoria School, Textile ETP and Fashion Matrix.

Jinjiang, in Fujian province, produces over a billion pairs of sports shoes every year: around one in five of those produced worldwide are made here. The footwear and clothing district has a production value exceeding 300 billion renminbi (around 45 billion dollars), and within a 50-kilometre radius there are research facilities, sole manufacturers, upper manufacturers, testing laboratories and sampling facilities. Yet, even within such an efficient system, warehousing, distribution, international shipping and returns have long remained a blind spot in carbon footprint calculations.

Changli Group aims to fill that gap with an investment of around 680 million renminbi (approximately 102 million dollars). The park, recognised as a key project by Fujian Province and linked to the Quanzhou Integrated Free Trade Zone, will cover approximately 200,000 square metres of built-up area, of which 160,000 will be dedicated to dual-ramp warehouses featuring AI-managed sorting, RFID traceability, bonded warehouses and customs clearance. It is scheduled to become operational in 2027. The aim is to bring together research, production, storage, customs declarations and global distribution, with services tailored to the specific needs of the footwear industry: delivery of finished products, centralised procurement of materials for factories, rapid dispatch of samples and returns management, including cleaning, repair and resale.

Why should a Chinese group be so concerned about transport-related CO₂ emissions? The answer was provided by Lin Meirong, chair of Changli Group, in her opening address at the summit: between China’s dual carbon targets (emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2060), the European CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) (which imposes a tax on CO₂ emissions embedded in goods imported from non-EU countries), the requirement for brands to report Scope 3 emissions, and the new circular economy regulations, the global footwear industry is shifting from competition based on cost to competition based on carbon efficiency. In other words, exporters will have to demonstrate how much pollution is generated by the journey their shoes take, and not just by their manufacture.

To translate this into practical measures, on 26 October 2026 Changli signed a strategic collaboration agreement with SF International, the international division of the SF Express freight group. The most interesting aspect is the data: SF’s Fenghe platform calculates emissions for every single shipment, using a method verified in accordance with the ISO 14083 standard and the GLEC Framework 3.0. The agreement also provides for electric vehicles for short-haul routes, reusable packaging, solar power management and integration with the courier’s network, which comprises 110 owned cargo aircraft, 152 operational routes and coverage across more than 80 countries.

Pending the practical trial scheduled for 2027, current estimates suggest that goods will reach Europe within 72 hours, with logistics costs reduced by over 20 per cent. But it is the underlying rationale that deserves attention. Changli aims to ensure that every order dispatched from Jinjiang is accompanied by traceable and verifiable environmental credentials. If logistics becomes the yardstick by which a shoe’s sustainability is measured, every manufacturer worldwide should take note of and be inspired by this business model.

‘Has sustainability lost momentum?’ The question with which William Wong, founder of the Global Footwear Sustainability Summit (GFSS), opened the proceedings of the 14th edition sounded like a provocation. In Jinjiang, Fujian, from 25 to 28 October 2026, the answer came indirectly: the momentum has not disappeared; it has simply changed direction. The focus has shifted from announcements to the more uncomfortable question: how much does it cost, and does it really work in production?

This is recounted by Marina Crnoja-Cosic, president of the European Textile Technology Platform (Textile ETP) and a speaker at the summit. In her report, she notes that the event’s programme no longer treated sustainability as a standalone topic, but linked it directly to competitiveness, the resilience of supply chains, new materials, production efficiency, digitalisation and costs. In other words, sustainability has moved out of the conference room and into the profit and loss account. And there, good intentions are usually weighed down to the gram.

The area where this scrutiny is most evident is that of materials. Bio-based materials, alternatives to traditional leather, and advanced and circular solutions are attracting growing attention. But the crucial question has now become a different one: do these innovations deliver the required performance, integrate into existing production processes and scale up to industrial levels at a competitive cost? A material that performs brilliantly in the laboratory but fails in production often remains a purely academic exercise. For footwear, the problem is even more complex, because a shoe is an assembly of different materials and components that are difficult to separate at the end of its life. This is why discussions have increasingly linked the choice of materials and eco-design with production and final recovery. A figure that emerged from the presentations on life-cycle assessment illustrates this clearly: around 80 per cent of a product’s environmental impact is determined as early as the design stage. However, the quality of the data also matters: life-cycle assessment describes a product’s life cycle, but on its own it does not indicate whether that product is sustainable or not.

The second overarching theme was digital technology. Artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, 3D printing and supply chain management technologies were not presented merely as tools for boosting productivity. They are becoming drivers of sustainability, as they help make better use of resources, improve quality, enable traceability and transparency, and can reduce environmental impact.

Against this backdrop lies perhaps the most important theme: the transition cannot take place within a single sector or a single geographical area. Europe has strengths in research, materials innovation, sustainability and regulation. Asia combines enormous manufacturing expertise, rapidly developing technologies and the ability to apply solutions on an industrial scale. Better linking these two halves of the equation creates opportunities for both. In her speech, Crnoja-Cosic pointed out that regulations and sustainability cannot be separated from industrial competitiveness; being in one of the world’s leading footwear manufacturing regions, she was also able to observe the reverse process – namely, the speed with which a technology moves from development to application on the factory floor. The same reasoning applies to textiles and footwear, which share many challenges: materials, chemicals, recycling, traceability, performance and circularity.

The message from Jinjiang is therefore that sustainability has not lost momentum, but has had to find its way into the factory floor and get its hands dirty: it works when materials can withstand industrial-scale production, when digital technology provides reliable data, and when Europe and Asia – the textile and footwear sectors – stop working in isolation.

When a report signed by five United Nations agencies and a survey of Italian citizens and businesses end up in the same document, the result risks resembling a medical record with two different diagnoses. This is what happened in Rimini on 3 November 2026, when the 15th edition of the Green Economy General Assembly opened, organised by the Foundation for Sustainable Development as part of Ecomondo, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and under the patronage of the European Commission and the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT).

The first diagnosis comes from the international scene. Edo Ronchi, president of the Foundation, opened his introductory address by citing the 2025 Annual Report ‘Partnership for Action on Green Economy’, compiled by five UN agencies, according to which the ecological transition has become a structural necessity for the socio-economic stability of many countries. We are no longer talking about a virtuous choice or a cost to be borne out of a sense of responsibility, but rather a necessary condition for economies and societies to remain viable.

The second assessment concerns Italy, and is less reassuring. Ronchi described the transition as being, on the whole, in a critical state, with only a few limited positive signs. Yet he also pointed out that an IPSOS survey shows growing support for the green economy among citizens and businesses. How do these two things fit together? One possible interpretation is that the will is there, whilst the system as a whole is struggling to translate it into measurable results. The demand for change is growing, but the pace of change is not. The following day, the international session, organised in collaboration with Italy for Climate, shifted the focus to geopolitics. Raimondo Orsini, director of the Foundation, observed that in a world marked by wars, social inequalities and geopolitical tensions, the green economy offers a concrete solution for two reasons: it reduces the risks associated with the climate crisis and decreases dependence on imports of fossil fuels and raw materials, which are often the very root cause of those conflicts. Those working in manufacturing know this: any surge in the price of energy or an imported material inevitably becomes, sooner or later, a cost passed on to the finished product. One problem remains that no single report can solve on its own: ensuring that decision-makers, buyers and investors understand all this. On 4 November 2026, this issue was addressed at the fifth edition of the Forum della Buona Comunicazione, organised by Ecomondo’s Technical and Scientific Committee in collaboration with the Italian Public Relations Federation (FERPI), with the participation of MASE and the Order of Journalists (OdG) of Emilia-Romagna. The title, ‘Communication on a Knife-Edge’, describes the position of those reporting on the transition, caught between environmental urgency and social stability. Journalists and business representatives discussed the ethical responsibility of communicators. The stated aim is to make the complexity of the ecological transition understandable without distorting it, to counter misinformation and to foster a dialogue capable of building trust through relationships – that is, over time and through direct engagement. Reporting on a ‘critical’ transition whilst citizens and businesses are pushing to accelerate it means avoiding both superficial enthusiasm and constant alarm. The General Assembly therefore highlighted three key points: globally, the transition is now a structural necessity; in Italy, it is proceeding in a critical manner despite growing demand; and reducing dependence on imported energy and raw materials has become a matter of security as well as the environment.

A yoghurt and a tyre have more in common than meets the eye. Both are the result of a transformation of raw materials, and both depend on molecules that someone must produce in large quantities, at sustainable costs and to a consistent standard. It is therefore no surprise that Danone and Michelin have joined forces. The result is the Biotech Open Platform (BIOP), founded in 2024 in partnership with DMC Biotechnologies, Crédit Agricole Centre France, Clermont Auvergne Innovation and Greentech, which is launching its industrial biotechnology platform in Clermont-Ferrand, France, within the Sustainable Materials Centre at the Michelin – Cataroux Innovation Park.

The problem the platform aims to solve is scale-up. Many biotechnological innovations work in the laboratory but then come to a standstill there, because between the feasibility trial and industrial production there is a step that is costly, requires facilities and expertise, and often holds projects back. Biotech Open Platform brings to the table over 20 million euros invested in the first phase, 5,000 square metres of space, a complete fermentation line with a capacity of up to 15 cubic metres, and semi-industrial purification systems – facilities that are still rare in Europe. The operating scale ranges from 10 grams to one tonne of ingredients. By 2026, the workforce will number 16.

What are we talking about? Advanced fermentation, of which precision fermentation is one of the main approaches: yeasts, bacteria, microalgae and fungi used as microfactories to produce proteins, enzymes, ingredients, active ingredients and bio-based materials. The sectors involved are food and drink, cosmetics, agriculture, chemicals and biomaterials.

What does footwear have to do with all this? Florent Menegaux, Chairman of the Michelin Group, says that for his company, the platform is ‘an opportunity to explore new ways of replacing certain molecules currently derived from petrochemicals with more sustainable bio-based alternatives’. Michelin is talking about tyres, but a rubber outsole, midsole foam, an adhesive or a finishing product share the same dependence on oil as a tyre. Those who develop materials or chemicals for footwear and leather goods come up against the same barrier: a formula that works in a test tube is not yet a material ready for mass production.

This is where the opening of the new centre comes into play. The platform is aimed at start-ups, industrial firms and research and development organisations, ‘well beyond the founding companies’. It enables the production of sufficient volumes for application testing prior to commercial production, whilst guaranteeing confidentiality and the protection of intellectual property. For a small business working on a biomaterial or a chemical auxiliary, building a 15-cubic-metre plant in-house is often out of reach. Renting the capacity, along with the expertise, is another matter altogether. Khadidja Romari, managing director of Biotech Open Platform, confirms this: ‘Infrastructure is important, but equipment alone is not enough. Scale-up requires experience, technical expertise and the ability to solve the problems that arise when moving from one scale to another.’ Many companies in the footwear sector would agree, having seen more than one promising material never make it past the sample stage.

The aim is to strengthen European industrial competitiveness and foster new value chains based on renewable resources. Biotech Open Platform offers what is often lacking for those who invent new materials: a place to make the transition from the laboratory to industry.

Mystery shoppers usually assess the sales assistant’s courtesy and the waiting time at the till. This time, they ordered shoes, received them at home and sent them to a laboratory. Between February and May 2026, the European Footwear Confederation (CEC) coordinated a mystery shopping exercise on footwear purchased from sellers operating on SHEIN, TEMU and AliExpress in seven countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The results, released in Brussels on 12 October 2026, showed that out of 76 pairs analysed by accredited laboratories, 27 – or 36 per cent – failed to comply with at least one of the chemical requirements under the REACH restrictions. The tests looked for phthalates, formaldehyde, heavy metals, chromium VI, nickel release, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs). Phthalates were the most common cause of non-compliance.

And what about the shoes that are supposed to protect us? Here, the picture is even worse: 8 out of 10 models of safety footwear fail to meet EN ISO requirements. They fall short in terms of slip resistance and puncture resistance, impact and compression resistance, toe cap protection, and the bond between the upper and the sole. Several models claim protective performance without CE marking and without the required documentation of conformity.

The sample is limited, and the CEC makes this clear. But the data comes at a delicate time: the European Union has introduced new rules in the Customs Code; the Parliament and the Council are examining the €2 handling fee on e-commerce imports under €150; and a revision of the Market Surveillance Regulation is expected. The Confederation is calling on the European Commission and the Member States to ensure effective controls and clear accountability throughout the entire e-commerce supply chain, including platforms.

The Beste Hub in Prato hosted the thirteenth edition of the annual 4sustainability by Ympact event, which focused on the strategic shift ‘From Resilience to Antifragility’ to integrate sustainability and digital technology into the fashion supply chain. In front of an audience of around 500 industry experts and professionals, both in person and online, the event promoted a vision in which ESG data and traceability are no longer merely regulatory obligations or downstream reporting requirements, but strategic assets integrated right from the product design stage. The proceedings were opened by the founders Francesca Rulli (Ympact), Claudio Rovere (Hind) and Giovanni Santi (Beste), who highlighted how the event – hosted on a rotating basis by organisations adopting this system – drives investment and greater process integration. The theoretical discussion was launched by a keynote speech from Alex Zanon (Digital Attitude), who, drawing inspiration from the thinking of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, invited the audience to build businesses capable of learning from uncertainty, by managing data and decentralising decision-making. Subsequently, Francesca Rulli and Massimo Brandellero (Ympact) elaborated on the group’s vision, explaining how the Ympact platform now involves 6,300 Italian suppliers (over 10 per cent of the supply chain), transforming data into a genuine raw material for generating trust and collaborative value.

The second part of the event focused on working groups addressing the practical challenges of the transition, starting with the introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP). In the panel discussion chaired by Martina Schiuma (Ympact), experts including Paolo Cibien (GS1 Italy), Kehua Hu (CNTAC), Claudia Gaudiello (NUO) and Giulio Lombardo (Brachi Testing Services) discussed interoperability and the quality of evidence required to prepare corporate information systems for the new European ESPR Regulation. Meanwhile, on the subject of due diligence, Francesca Rulli spoke with industry representatives Andrea Crespi (Confindustria Moda), Moreno Vignolini (Confartigianato), Paolo Pernici (CNA), Mickaël Maniez (Kering / Fashion Pact) and Valentino Durante (FVL) to address the critical issue of the proliferation of questionnaires and audits. This discussion led to the creation of the harmonised “4s ETHIC” system, comprising five key actions based on a common language, cooperation and the pooling of investments. After hearing accounts of experiences from the districts and Italian industry clusters (Cardato Riciclato Pratese, Consorzio Physis, Innovation for Luxury and MagnoLab), the proceedings concluded with a presentation of the “Behind the DPP” project by Rulli and Schiuma, reiterating that the digital passport is the final output of a complex, shared data infrastructure, essential for compliance and risk management.

The “RELIABLE” project is now in full swing, guiding Veneto-based fashion, footwear and sports companies towards the future Digital Product Passport (DPP). Promoted by the Face Design Regional Innovation Network and the Sportsystem District (led by the Politecnico Calzaturiero), the programme boasts a regional investment of over 3.2 million euros. The initiative involves 18 companies and the Universities of Padua and Verona, anticipating European regulations on traceability and sustainability which, for the textile sector, will come into force after 2027.

The initial trials are already yielding results on two fronts: supply chain mapping and life cycle assessment (LCA). Among the pioneers, Nice Footwear has completed its supplier audit and has also hired the university student who worked on the project, whilst Tecnica Group has measured the environmental footprint of all its Tecnica and Nordica ski boots.

“At a particularly challenging time for our sector, linking the expertise of businesses with that of the research community is essential for tackling the challenges of the market,” says Bruno Conterno, Chairman of RIR Face Design.

In addition to sustainability, RELIABLE is developing a second line of research focused on comfort and safety. Through the use of artificial intelligence, biomechanics and digital twins, the experts are creating new technologies to improve product performance. The activities in this second phase will conclude in March 2027.