Course for Footwear Designers with a Focus on Sustainability

To promote the efficient use of resources in various branches of the industry, the European Union has launched, since 2019, the European Green Deal, a "green agreement" aimed at putting member states on the path to a clean, circular, and sustainable economy, with the primary goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

With small and medium-sized enterprises at its core, the European community has initiated a range of initiatives aimed at strengthening them for the challenges of their respective markets. Following this, the SHOEDES – Shoe Design project was created, which aims to foster the skills of designers through an interdisciplinary training program associated with creativity, innovation, and sustainability, both in technological and non-technological aspects.

The SHOEDES project aims to achieve three objectives: anticipate and explore new business/entrepreneurship models based on sustainable products and footwear design for a circular economy; develop new guidelines for sustainable footwear design, exploring existing European instruments and initiatives; and develop new learning methodologies and tools aimed at current and future designers in the field.

Thus, registrations are open for the course entitled "new design qualifications for sustainable footwear products that meet the emerging demands of the circular economy".

It is part of the European Erasmus+ program, through which participants can acquire knowledge related to sustainability, eco-design, and the application of circular economy principles in footwear design, targeting designers in the sector, students, and other professionals interested in developing a career in the cluster.

It is organized and divided into six units: circular economy in the footwear industry (legislation, concepts, and principles); sustainable resources and materials for the footwear industry; product design for a circular economy; sustainable practices in the manufacturing process; market and consumer behavior in the circular economy; and waste management strategies (best practices in the sector).

Each unit consists of a set of classes with separate assessment modules.

The course is available in seven languages: Portuguese, English, French, Greek, Romanian, Italian, and Turkish. It is fully delivered online, and trainees can complete the different curricular units according to their own availability.

Click here to register

Source : CTCP