The novelties are the great attraction while going through the hallways of Lineapelle. This is par excellence the fair for the presentation of trends for next season. Following the largest footwear fair in the world, it is now the turn of the components and leather sector to introduce the trends for next winter. But this is an edition of fresh starts.

"Welcome to normality”. This is how Décio Pereira, from Vapesol, faces the first day of Lineapelle. The feeling is shared by all exhibitors "The big news is being able to return: see our customers, meet friends again, see how business is doing”, says Rodolfo Guedes from Multicouro. "It is a crucial fair. It is a fresh start for the entire footwear industry”, declares João Carvalho from Atlanta. 

Between soles and leathers, sustainability seems to be the common denominator. The Portuguese delegation at the fair included six component companies and more than a dozen tanneries, supported by APIC.

Continuously investing in the development of innovative solutions is ISI. After the famous tennis balls, which were crushed and then incorporated into the soles, the brand introduced two more solutions: colour-inclusive soles for colour-blinded (see box) and soles with unused balloons. "Sustainability is at the core of ISI. Following the implementation of the concept in the company, it was the turn to look at the product”, says Vítor Mendes. It all began with the incorporation of the waste in production itself, as well as from other industries. "We try to ensure that all soles have at least 30% of recycled raw-material”, explains the responsible for ISI. And the search for new materials is continuous. That is how the idea of incorporating old balloons was born. "After developing the concept and testing it, we started collecting defective balloons directly from the factories”.

"Concerning the tennis balls, for example, we have already collected thousands of balls as a result of partnerships with tennis clubs. We were able to produce so far half a million soles that contain sustainable components, and the material from the balls is very significant”.

In the group of newcomers, we have found Aloft. "We have decided to participate for the first time in Lineapelle as it is the first pos-COVID fair. There was a lot of fear and uncertainty, so, we thought the timing for our participation was right because we are a bold company that believes in the sector’s recovery. Sustainability is also a keystone at Pedro Castro’s company. "We don’t look at sustainability as a strategy. It must be a way of being. That is how we see it”. In this field, the company has been carrying out several developments. "We receive materials from other industries, and our dream is to create a spin-off exclusively dedicated to recycling.

For Lineapelle, Pedro Castro brings a technological innovation. "We are a company of technical soles, so, everything we develop is aimed at performance. We brought Sphere, a technology developed with the University of Navarra that allows for a different kind of comfort.  We present three versions of soles that are based on this comfort technology, which is a very pressing topic these days.

The conversation with our business partners in the moulds area and the Universidade of Navarra led us to start this project. The concept is not yet finished, we are still performing tests with several sports teams. Mainly, we want a person’s walking to be influenced by the sole.
Also making its debut at the fair, or at least that is how the company sees its participation after two decades of absence, is TECO.  "We had not participated in many years, but we found it essential to be present at the biggest fair of the area”. To Rui Faria, the bet on sustainability may have been a trend, however, now "it is the way forward”.
The company, in partnership with its suppliers, has been testing new materials, and "the results are fantastic. We have decided to name them EVA SWEET. It is an EVA base material with 70% of sugar cane in its composition. "In this range, we also have an EVA material made of 50% recycled material (from the production waste) and 50% sugar cane”. All these materials are being tested and certified by recognized institutions in terms of quality”, says the responsible for the company.

Bolflex continues to walk the path of sustainability. "We are the house of news”, states Pedro Saraiva. "We have been innovating for 30 years. As it is known, we are investing in sustainability, and we are searching for solutions in several areas to introduce to our clients”.

For João Carvalho, it is critical to continue betting on light and flexible materials, as well as recycled rubber. "We are working with recycled rubbers, incorporating recycled products into the soles. We will soon announce some news on this area. Besides the materials, we are preparing several environmental certifications at the corporate level”, claims the commercial responsible for Atlanta.

"We face sustainability looking inwards first. We have had environmental certification for over a year, and we keep working to improve the company’s policies”, the words are from Décio Pereira.

Concerning novelties, Vapesol bets on an improvement and continuity of previous actions. "The most recent novelties are EVA soles and EVA soles with TPU bonding. We have been increasing our capacity. We started the year with the capacity to produce 1.000 pairs, and we will finish it up with the capacity to produce 3.000 pairs”.

The leather industry considers having something to stay in the discussion about sustainability. "Sustainability is buying a good pair of shoes, that lasts”. The challenge comes from Rodolfo Guedes. The responsible for Multicouro admits that there is a continuity in the search for biomaterials. "Biomaterials are in high demand, more specifically, vegetable tanning and chrome-free tanning. It is our biggest bet: the sustainability of the items and its life-cycle”.

But there are yet many unfulfilled dreams that begin to take shape in these pavilions. "Our goal is to have a unit that reprocesses waste, receives it from other industries, and instead of just crushing and homogenizing it, additives it and corrects it to give it added value”, says Pedro Castro from Aloft.