The Portuguese footwear industry is setting its sights on doubling exports of technical footwear to €100 million by the end of the decade, in response to growing defence spending.
Driving this ambition is the FAIST project, a national initiative bringing together 45 partners to develop advanced technologies and provide cutting-edge technical solutions to companies in the sector.
According to Luís Onofre, President of APICCAPS (the Portuguese Footwear, Components, Leather Goods Manufacturers’ Association), this push comes at a strategic moment.
“We are paying close attention to the anticipated increase in defence spending,” he noted. “Portugal has a tradition of supplying key European military and security forces. The increased defence budgets across NATO countries could represent a major opportunity for our industry.”
FAIST – a flagship collaborative project – is at the heart of this transformation. Its coordinator, Florbela Silva, emphasises that the initiative is enabling reindustrialisation and the adoption of high-productivity processes.
Portugal already has a track record of supplying international security forces through public procurement contracts. According to Reinaldo Teixeira, President of the Footwear Technology Centre, the country is well-placed to scale up its offering.
He said: “We have the knowledge and installed capacity. We’re prepared to expand, even into the military segment. Given the current context of increased defence investment, I’m confident Portugal will become a reference in the development of technical footwear.”
Looking ahead, APICCAPS President Onofre suggests the €100 million export target by 2030 may even be conservative: “Given the progress being made and the opportunities emerging, that forecast could well be revised upwards.”
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