Design for Sustainability in the Footwear Sector: Survey on Strategies and Impacts Mitigation

Abstract

The environmental costs related to the production processes, the exposure of workers to inadequate conditions, the high competitiveness and the accelerated growth of the footwear sector, are results of the current production and consumption model, which also reverberates on the premature disposal of footwear and the lack of management of waste from its production process. Given these facts, this article seeks to understand which Design for Sustainability (DfS) approaches are being implemented in the sector. Through a literature review, the most used DfS approaches were identified and with a desktop research, a survey on examples was carried out, in order to mitigate the impacts through the concepts of Circular and Distributed Economy, models can enable greater resilience for small businesses in the sector, through local production and consumption. 16 examples of companies in the footwear sector were selected and analyzed, the study made it possible to carry out a critical analysis regarding the use of isolated strategies and a reflection on the incorporation of different DfS approaches. In addition, the study provides a wide repertoire of solutions and good practices for other designers in the sector.