The European partners of the “Step to Sustainability” project met in Elda last month to discuss the final details of what will be a new training programme on “Sustainable Manufacturing in Footwear”. The consortium is now ready to launch a call for companies interested in participating in a free pilot training exercise. It is an opportunity not to be missed!
The project, co-financed by the European Commission, aims at creating, designing, developing and piloting a new occupation and qualification profile and the corresponding training course. The overall objective is that businesses maximise energy efficiency and the use of their resources, while at the same time they increase the added value of their footwear in order to better satisfy consumers’ demands, as well as our planet’s needs.
Based on the European Qualification Framework, two levels of occupational profiles have been developed, Level 4 - “Technician on Sustainable Manufacturing”- and Level 5 – “Specialist Technician on Sustainability for Footwear Industry”, and a variety of modules of both training programmes will soon be finalised. In brief, footwear companies will have an expert on sustainable manufacturing among their staff, who could advise on multiple topics such as the optimisation of materials and processes with regards the product and packaging, the restricted chemicals to use, the legislation and standards to respect, etc.
The consortium has now opened a Call for Expression of Interest at the project website www.step2sustainability.eu, in which companies can apply to be part of the pilot exercise and follow training on of the training modules free of charge. With this proposal, the partners will ensure that the training material responds to the users’ needs.
The green and sustainable economy is advancing fast. Consumers lead this path, and request much more than “green” brand names. The Step To Sustainability project does not want that the European footwear industry remains behind, and makes available an innovative training material on footwear sustainable manufacturing to businesses. An opportunity to improving competitiveness and business growth!
Press release
CEC
Elda, Alicante, Spain
27th July 2015