Portugal’s footwear industry leads a €60 million green transformation through the BioShoes4All project.
Led by APICCAPS and CTCP, the €60 million BioShoes4All project brings together over 70 companies and institutions, currently reaching 85% completion, a landmark achievement that confirms Portugal’s leadership in sustainable and digital transformation.
For Luís Onofre, President of APICCAPS, BioShoes4All is much more than a project. “It is a concrete response to the challenges of our time — ecological transition, digital transformation, and the strengthening of human capital and know-how”, he stated.
Annika Breidthardt, European Commission representative in Portugal, praised the initiative, highlighting the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) as a key enabler. “This project is a success story, first Portuguese, but also European, showing how resilience can drive competitiveness and innovation”.
The Secretary of State for the Economy, João Rui Ferreira, underlined the sector’s ability to project itself into the future. “Portugal’s advantage lies not in geography or raw materials, but in knowledge, history, and quality — and in the ability to anticipate trends in a global industry”.
Fernando Alfaiate, President of the Recover Portugal Mission Structure, emphasized BioShoes4All as “a strong example of the Bioeconomy in action, uniting science, industry, and sustainability around a common goal”.
At the heart of the project lies a clear ambition, explains Maria José Ferreira, CTCP’s R&D Director: “to transition our footwear cluster toward a bio-based economy, reducing dependence on fossil resources”.
That ambition is already visible in results. The consortium has delivered more than 150 innovations, including 46 new footwear and leather products, of which 45 have a lower ecological footprint, 44 a smaller carbon footprint, and 27 a reduced fossil footprint.
The project has developed new biomaterials and bio-based leathers made from pine bark, olive leaves, and coffee grounds, creating 100% bio-leathers stabilized with plant extracts. It has also achieved a 20% reduction in water consumption in tanning processes and developed VOC-free finishes.
Beyond materials, BioShoes4All pioneers digitalization and automation, leading the way in creating biopolymers, biosoles, and bio-based rubbers made from natural waste such as chestnut shells and olive pits.
The project also promotes traceability and circularity, applying the European Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology and tools like the Shoe Agile Footprint Calculator, allowing companies to measure their environmental impact for free.
As the project nears completion, its message is clear: BioShoes4All marks the beginning of a new chapter, one where Portugal’s footwear industry steps firmly into a future built on innovation, sustainability, and global leadership.
Photo: Pedro Ferreira
Shoes: Wock
