The European Footwear Confederation (CEC) welcomes European Footwear Technology centres as Associate Members

The European Footwear Confederation (CEC) is pleased to announce the introduction of a new membership category, Associate Members, following the latest modification of its statutes. This new category aims to broaden participation within the footwear community by welcoming stakeholders beyond national footwear associations, thereby strengthening collaboration, maximising expertise and fostering new initiatives.

Under the Associate Member category, manufacturers and brands, distributor associations, footwear technology centres and expert groups are now eligible to join the CEC. In this context, CEC is delighted to welcome the following European footwear technology centres as Associate Members: NOVEX, INESCOP and CETEC (Spain), CTCP (Portugal), PFI (Germany), Politecnico Calzaturiero (Italy), and SATRA (UK/Ireland).

Building on the expertise of these organisations, CEC has launched a Sustainability Working Group dedicated to addressing key EU social and environmental policy developments relevant to the European footwear industry. The group will support companies in anticipating and adapting to new regulatory requirements while identifying emerging opportunities.

The Working Group’s agenda includes strategic topics such as ecodesign requirements for footwear, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the revision of the EU Ecolabel, and the Digital Product Passport. While both textiles and footwear are identified as priority products in European sustainability and circularity legislation, CEC underlines the need to recognise the distinct environmental impacts and technical characteristics of footwear and to develop solutions that are both appropriate and feasible for the sector.

In the context of ecodesign, particular emphasis is expected to be placed on durability, reflecting the long-lasting quality of European leather footwear and the strong compliance of European manufacturers with EU health, safety and environmental standards. The technical group also aims to support companies in implementing supply chain traceability, by developing harmonised guidelines that will help businesses meet due diligence requirements arising from EU legislation, including the EU Deforestation Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

CEC looks forward to strengthening dialogue with its new Associate Members and to further enhancing the voice of the European footwear industry in discussions with EU policymakers. Through evidence-based and technically sound solutions, CEC seeks to ensure that the sector is well positioned to anticipate and adapt to both EU and national policy requirements.