SATRA presentation at major shoe conference

The 18th International Technical Footwear Congress organised by the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) was recently held in Guangzhou, China – the first time this prestigious event has been held in China. The theme of the conference was ‘Social responsibility: a challenge for the footwear industry’ and the event attracted some 300 delegates from around the world.

The first full day of the conference involved visits to shoe factories in Dongguan and Shenzhen to see examples of current production techniques. The second and third days were filled with technical presentations. The keynote speeches were delivered by a representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on the subject of corporate social responsibility – an essential part of business. There was also an update on the status of China’s leather and footwear industries from the Chairman of the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), and a review of global footwear supply and demand.

John Hubbard represented SATRA and gave a presentation entitled ‘Ensuring worker safety in footwear production’. In this, he examined how the chemical and physical risks associated with footwear production can be monitored and managed as part of an overall safety culture approach.

UITIC international conferences have been held since 1972 in such cities as Athens, Budapest, León, Milan and Munich. The next event will take place in Autumn 2015 in a location to be announced.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the February 2014 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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