On Nov. 29, 2024, during its General Assembly meeting at Mudec – Museum of Cultures in Milan, Assomac, the confindustrial association representing Italian manufacturers of tannery, footwear and leather goods machinery, elected Mauro Bergozza, Assomac’s current vice president and CEO of Bergi S.p.A., as its new president, succeeding Maria Vittoria Brustia, who has led the association in recent years. Confirmed as vice-president is Cristiano Paccagnella, general manager of Omac s.r.l., while Massimo Angeleri, CEO of Officina Meccanica Angeleri s.r.l., was named new vice-president.
Born in Arzignano (Vicenza) in 1962, Mauro Bergozza is the second generation at the helm of Bergi S.p.A., a family business specializing in the production of tannery machinery. Bergozza is mainly involved in commercial and financial management, leading with his brothers a business that combines tradition and innovation. Active in Assomac since 1996, he has held various roles, up to vice president of the association.
“We live in an era of great challenges for the manufacturing sector, in which networking and creating a strong representation are imperative necessities,” said Mauro Bergozza, thanking for his appointment. “It is essential to strengthen the technological identity of our sector, investing in research, innovation and sustainability. Only in this way we will be able to fully enhance Made in Italy and successfully face international competition. We will work to develop common standards that promote the quality and safety of our technologies, while continuing to build strategic alliances, both at the national and European levels. Our goal is a future in which member companies can distinguish themselves through excellence and ability to transition to more advanced production models.”
Founded by Stefania Gnutti, a young and visionary entrepreneur, DONE! is a brand strongly connected to its cultural context and contemporary lifestyles, the result of a long period of observation of people’s habits in the most dynamic urban contexts. The brand name derives from the founder’s personal mantra, ‘well done is better than well said’. a commitment to doing things well.
The official presentation took place last 17 October at the headquarters in Via Pietro Colletta 69 in Milan with the event IT’S… DONE! Cocktail & DJ Set, at which the new collection was unveiled, and in particular the >East+West< backpack: an ideal of connection and inclusiveness. Made of 80% recycled nylon, it is a versatile accessory that adapts perfectly to a busy life, transforming itself into a handbag, shoulder bag, shoulder bag and luggage case. Its multiple functionalities, such as its removable shoulder straps, trolley-compatible sliding harness and side strap attachments, make it the ideal travel companion. Its interior is made of orange-coloured nylon to make its contents more visible, with a 13’ computer compartment, mesh pocket with internal key ring, and removable multi-purpose clutch.
DONE!, through its innovative, contemporary, inclusive and sustainable products, its image, crisp – as its founder likes to call it – and direct, expresses an immediate, strong and recognisable identity, an expression of a balance between design, functionality and style.
Coats Footwear has launched three innovative structural components designed to support footwear brands in their quest for sustainable excellence and which are part of the brand’s RHENOPRINT™ range.
These include the RP Evolve heel counter and RP Flow and RP Wave toe puffs, designed to improve performance standards while maximising product quality.
The RP Evolve heel counter further reinforces Coats Footwear’s dedication to sustainability. This eco-friendly, zero-waste solution is made from 70% recycled materials, such as R-PET and R-TPU. Completely free of virgin polyester and GRS certified, RP Evolve can help manufacturers reduce the carbon footprint of their footwear, without sacrificing any of the features required for high performance.
The RP Flow toe puff, on the other hand, is a versatile solution ideal for meeting the high demands of sports and performance footwear. Made with 70 per cent recycled content, including R-TPU and acrylic glass R, RP Flow has a zero-waste production process, while its waterproof and durability properties make it suitable for high-performance applications such as running shoes. Finally, GRS certification offers the assurance of a product with excellent sustainability credentials.
The RP Wave toe puff has also been developed to meet the growing need for sustainable solutions and incorporates 70 per cent recycled materials, designed to minimise environmental impact at every stage of the process, GRS certification and at the same time offers the medium to high stiffness required for high pressure and high temperature applications.
The famous footwear brand founded in 1975 on the island of Majorca, Spain, has long been committed to sustainability with reuse and circularity projects. These include ReCamper, an initiative that aims to extend the life of Camper shoes with services that include cleaning, repairing or converting them into other footwear. In this way, they are prevented from ending up in landfills because, of the 23 billion pairs of shoes produced each year, 95% end up like that.
ReWalk is a collection of used and second-hand shoes that have been cleaned, disinfected and repaired to make them ready to walk again and ReCrafted a unique collection made from recycled Camper shoes.
For its collections, Camper uses certified and innovative natural materials, leather produced using environmentally responsible practices and certified by the Leather Working Group, recycled materials that minimise environmental impact and favouring simple construction with minimal materials, glues and stitching to reduce waste and CO2 emissions while increasing performance and comfort.
FIMAST, held at Fiera di Vicenza from Nov. 6 to 8, is a B2B event that shines a spotlight on technological innovations in the hosiery and sock, 3D and seamless footwear, as well as technical and sportswear supply chains, bringing together major industry players, brands and protagonists of the production districts for yarns, production machinery, technologies and finished product.
A context harbinger of some interesting presentations of projects capable of interpreting the theme of sustainability in an innovative way.
Like the eco-sustainable sneakers made using recycled tires and biobased by-products of agricultural activities – derived from corn, apples, mycelium and grapes – of the ID.EIGHT project, born from the meeting between creative designer Dong Seon Lee and the brand’s co-founder Giuliana Borzillo.
Or like the elegant ballerina shoe noteworthy as the first handcrafted shoe designed by a generative artificial intelligence questioned about market trends and models best suited for the luxury market. The initiative is by Peron Shoes, a historic footwear industry on the Riviera del Brenta. A reality with 50 years of experience, representing the union between the best Italian footwear tradition and new technologies, able to develop shoes from recycled and fully recyclable materials.
An artisanal Italian shoe, but designed by artificial intelligence and notarized, at every stage of processing, by blockchain technology. It is a hitherto unprecedented combination that has given birth to “First handmade shoe designed by AI,” the project created in collaboration with EZ Lab, an innovative Padua-based company specializing in blockchain technology that through its Made in Block platform enhances and protects Made in Italy productions. The pair of ballerinas, which was already presented in early 2024 at the World AI Cannes Festival, an international event on artificial intelligence issues, houses an NFC tag inside the sole that, when in contact with a smartphone, allows consumers to access the Digital Product Passport to discover all the information they want about sustainability, traceability, origin and company history. “These ballerinas are the first product in a new line of shoes designed by artificial intelligence for our Via della Paglia brand,” explains Alberto Masenadore, manager of Peron Shoes. “In today’s market, there is an increasing number of conscious consumers who favor products for which it is possible to know the origin in addition to the quality and safety of the product itself. For this reason, we decided to register our footwear with Blockchain, which provides certain information, to guarantee every single sale of our products. Our goal is to share with customers, in a transparent way, all information about the origin and authenticity of our items.”
Finally, a moment of discussion and inspiration for the future of the sports industry. During the talk organized by ASSOSPORT, entitled “Footwear and Tubular Knitting: Innovations and Challenges for the Sports Sector,” key topics such as sustainability and innovation for the footwear world were explored.
With contributions from Armando Cietto of AC Studio and Davide Slongo of SIDI, the possibilities and challenges related to the development of tubular knitting shoes were discussed, with a focus on the outdoor and bike sectors.
From the discussion, it emerged how tubular knitting applied to the construction of a shoe (a sock that is joined to a sole) is indeed a technology with great advantages: construction is very easy since neither cutting nor stitching are needed, processes that are typically critical, particularly in the current historical moment that suffers from a severe shortage of skilled and experienced labor. “Knit is undoubtedly the right way to make the footwear construction process increasingly automated,” the speakers stressed. There is no shortage of weaknesses: flexibility, wear and tear, and water repellency are some of the issues yet to be ironed out. Not to mention the little collaboration between sports brands and those who manufacture machines and yarns.
Edoardo Iannuzzi, Chief of Innovation di ACBC
For Edoardo Iannuzzi, ACBC‘s Chief of Innovation, tubular knit construction also has advantages: “Four years ago we decided to invest in this construction process together with Missoni because tubular knit produces no waste and reduces the number of processes with consequent savings in energy and logistics, as it is not necessary to outsource some processes. It allows for process optimization.” And ACBC has believed in it so much that it has developed together with BASF an innovative material that Iannuzzi previewed just at FIMAST and that will be launched on the market in the coming months: “We will offer companies the basic building blocks to make fabrics and knits in TPU of excellent quality, so much so that it resembles polyester in terms of breathability and touch. A very durable, fully recyclable yarn that can be used to make knit soles and uppers. A shoe, therefore, monomaterial and therefore entirely recyclable at the end of its life.”
ACBC also does not overlook the financial sustainability of the project: “For 1 euro of recycling cost, a material worth 3 euros is produced, with no waste or rejects.”
Designers are prioritizing sustainable materials and innovative construction techniques, with a strong emphasis on versatile shoe designs that can adapt to multiple environments. Block heels and cleated soles are emerging as key trends, offering both aesthetic appeal and practical support
Designed for efficient material consumption and easy separation, Vision is built with a unique structure that allows it to be cut in two, separating the upper from the lower unit to recycle the latter, ensuring a more virtuous product life cycle. Vision uses a mono-material TPU midsole and outsole that can be separated and recycled to produce ski boots, reducing the carbon footprint by 54% compared to the Sense Ride 5, the benchmark trail shoe.
The Vision boasts an infiniFOAM midsole and a contaGRIP outsole, both made from a fully recyclable TPU, which offers comfortable and durable cushioning, as well as precise grip on any terrain, especially in muddy conditions. The midsole uses INDEX.03 technology, an injected TPU foam, which offers an improved level of cushioning and terrain filtering compared to the Sense Ride 5, according to lab tests.
Vision was developed by the Salomon team at the Annecy Design Center, based in the heart of the French Alps, in collaboration with ultra-trail legend François D’Haene: ‘The goal was to create a recyclable shoe that was also versatile enough to accompany runners on their daily runs, on longer runs and even in races!’ – says Romain Berger, Product Line Manager Trail Running.
On the occasion of National Tree Day, 21 November, the Consorzio Cuoio di Toscana celebrated one year of the Breath for the Planet project, launched in November 2023 and which has led to the planting of 50 trees in the San Bartolo a Cintoia Park. A project created with the aim of contributing to the ecological redevelopment plan, started in 2019, of a 10-hectare area and which is part of the Consortium’s tangible plan to protect the environment and promote eco-responsible practices.
‘Sustainability is not a claim, but a commitment that must be translated into concrete actions,’ commented Antonio Quirici, President of the Consorzio Cuoio di Toscana.
Among the concrete projects that the Consorzio Cuoio di Toscana has undertaken for a green and responsible economy is the CDT Prize, an ongoing initiative that enhances talent and sustainable innovation, raising awareness of the value of a high quality, Made in Italy product such as leather. Launched in 2021, CDT Prize has given support to international designers and brands such as Thebe Magugu, Act n.1, Marine Serre, Marco Rambaldi and Federico Cina, demonstrating how the raw material ‘leather’ can respond to the needs not only of the market, but also of the environment.
The leather produced by the seven tanneries that are part of the Consortium, located in the districts of San Miniato and Santa Croce sull’Arno in the province of Pisa, is in fact plastic-free, recyclable and derived from food industry waste, which would otherwise be disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Thanks to slow vegetable tanning in tanks, a practice that represents a virtuous example of circularity, the raw hides are transformed into a high-performance and compostable material, recognised worldwide as a quality brand with low environmental impact.
The seven tanneries are required to adhere to strict sustainability criteria, including animal welfare, water purification, solid waste recycling and the use of renewable energy for production activities.
The need for sustainability is now undeniable. The impact of industry on the environment, communities and the individual can no longer be ignored, and all stakeholders – from regulators to consumers – want to see positive action on climate change, biodiversity loss and social impact. SGS is responding to that call with IMPACT NOW for sustainability.
SGS recognizes that every organization is at a different stage in their sustainability journey. Whether they are just getting started or are looking to optimize their existing sustainability initiatives, IMPACT NOW for sustainability provides tailored solutions to assist clients in achieving their specific sustainability goals.
IMPACT NOW for sustainability consolidates SGS’s sustainability offerings under four strategic pillars: climate, circularity, nature and ESG assurance. Through these pillars, SGS offers trusted compliance solutions that directly help businesses address the key environmental and social challenges impacting the planet:
· Climate – greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and the energy transition towards net-zero
· Circularity – reducing plastic pollution and enabling circularity through sustainable design, material optimization, recyclability and effective waste management
· Nature – environmental risk management, including contamination (PFAS, microplastics, etc.), to curb biodiversity loss and ecosystem damage
· ESG assurance – aligning skills and strategy with regulatory and corporate objectives requirements to ensure accountability, accuracy and consistency in ESG disclosures
With new regulations mandating ESG disclosures and a growing emphasis on sustainable processes and products, IMPACT NOW for sustainability provides a comprehensive platform where businesses can find the tailored solutions they need to enhance sustainability and meet compliance requirements
The choice of Barcelona is not by chance. It is part of a structured expansion project in the Spanish market. Featuring a unique and immersive design, the new Bata shop on Las Ramblas houses a vertical botanical garden installation by Quo Artis, an international art and science foundation based in Barcelona. Composed of 100% natural, sustainably preserved and fully recyclable plants, this space is much more than a temporary shop: it is an anticipation of the green path started over a year ago by Bata, which has created a specific team dedicated to sustainability. A commitment that will see its full expression in 2025 with the launch of the brand’s first sustainable collection. This opening is a further sign of the commitment of BATA, which for 130 years has been able to interpret the needs of consumers and looks to the future with a solid business ethic, aiming at quality products, accessible to all.
