Luís Onofre was re-elected president of Apiccaps, the Portuguese association of footwear, components and leather goods manufacturers, for a new three-year term.
Joaquim Moreira will chair the association’s general meeting and Domingos Ferreira the supervisory board.
In a statement, Onofre said that “it should be recognized that in recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on our activities”. In addition, highly export-oriented sectors “had to face the consequences of the war in Ukraine, particularly in terms of inflation, and the economic slowdown in our main markets”. Nevertheless, the sector has presented a new strategic plan for the next decade to make “the Portuguese footwear industry a major benchmark in the development of sustainable solutions”.
Thanks to funds from Portugal’s €16 billion Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the Portuguese footwear industry has two major projects underway, representing a total investment of around €140 million, Apiccaps pointed out.
The association has launched the FAIST project, which focuses on automation and production technology, and BioShoes4all, aimed at developing sustainable products.
“Together, we will try to implement what we have proposed in the strategic plan, with a focus on actions related to the internationalization of our companies. At a time when global economies are still experiencing very modest economic growth, our ability to reach new markets and customers and move into higher value-added segments will be critical,” Onofre said.
Created in 1975 and based in Porto, Apiccaps represents the entire footwear sector in Portugal.
The Portuguese footwear and leather goods sector comprises just over 1,500 companies, employing 40,000 people. It exports more than 90 percent of its production, which at the end of last year amounted to €2,400 million. Over the past decade, exports of the Portuguese footwear and leather goods sector have increased by around 50 percent, according to data released by Apiccaps.
The country’s footwear and leather goods production is mainly concentrated in two areas near Porto comprising the municipalities of Felgueiras and Guimarães, on the one hand, and Santa Maria da Feira, Oliveira de Azeméis and S. João da Madeira, on the other. The five municipalities account for more than three-quarters of employment in the sector. Another cluster is located in the Benedita area, north of Lisbon.
