The footwear trade-fair goes green with a dedicated area, new certification mark, and a robust awareness-raising activity aimed at the footwear industry
Sustainability is no longer just a wish, or an achievement to aim for: it is increasingly the starting point for footwear industries investing in research to guarantee high standards of sustainability for their production processes. Shoes have become a symbol of this success, combining creativity, innovative technique and style with a focus on sustainable quality.
In light of the intense interest surrounding the subject, MICAM Milano, the international footwear show to be held shortly at Fiera Milano Rho from March 13 - 15, 2022, is ready to play its part with a number of initiatives centring around social and environmental sustainability in manufacturing: these include a special exhibition area in perfect MICAM style - the MICAM Green Zone, which will be a wellspring of new ideas and provide a promotional opportunity for numerous enterprises.
This special area will be set up in pavilion 7 for all operators who want to embark on the path towards production processes that are increasingly in line with social, environmental and governance (ESG) standards. It will be divided into a number of different sectors, each offering an opportunity to find out more about various aspects of sustainability.
VCS certification and a special tool
The MICAM Green Zone will feature a corner where companies can find out more about Assocalzaturifici’s VCS (Verified and Certified Steps) certification system, designed specifically for footwear industries aiming to achieve the highest standards of sustainability. VCS guarantees a sustainable approach, manufacturing quality and excellence, and is intended to be a symbol recognised by buyers, manufacturers and financial institutions. VCS is not only a trademark but also a software tool, a “compass” pointing to the benchmarks and initiatives that will allow companies to generate or improve their sustainability impact: during MICAM, live demonstrations will be held to familiarise operators with this easy-to-use tool for measuring companies’ social, environmental and governance performance. The man behind the technical aspects of VCS is entrepreneur and sustainable fashion innovator Federico Brugnoli, recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Northampton University.
20 x Green
To provide players in the footwear industry with food for thought, an exhibition of twenty items of footwear provided by 20 manufacturers will express provocative ideas about the sustainability of materials, production systems, and product life cycles.
ACBC
The same area will feature the exhibition space of ACBC, the Italian Circular Science Company that leads the way in the creation and production of certified sustainable footwear for the fashion and sportswear markets. The brand, certified by B Corp, will present its upcoming Fall/Winter collection and various capsule collections produced in partnership with some of the world’s best-known fashion brands. Names confirmed so far include Alexander Smith, GEOX, Malìparmi, Northwave, Pantofola d’Oro 1886, Piquadro, Rewoolution, Save The Duck, and Philippe Model.
MICAM X via Live Streaming
As sustainability is also a key theme of MICAM X, MICAM’s innovation hub, the Green Zone in pavilion 7 will be live-streaming the meetings taking place on the stage of MICAM X, MICAM’s learning and training platform in pavilion 1. MICAM brings sustainability within reach of all footwear companies, with a unique opportunity to find out about the state of the art in this area! Come and see us to find out more, and book your demo preview of the VCS software here: https://www.assocalzaturifici.it/sostenibilita/vcs/
Press release
MICAM
4 March 2022