Zero Waste Procalçado Group of Portugal boasts an

LEMON JELLY ZERO WASTE

The Portuguese Procalçado Group is one of the largest manufacturers of footwear components in Europe. Its repertoire ranges from outsoles and inner soles to shoe design and development. It also operates its own brands such as Lemon Jelly. From autumn/winter 2019, there will be a “Wasteless” line that recycles production waste. Text: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Procalçado

José Pinto focuses on achieving sustainability by implementing innovative production processes.

Sustainable from the start. Procalçado has been thinking long-term since its foundation in 1973 - especially since the early 2000s, when numerous customers relocated their production to Asia. “Back then, many advised us to relocate to China too. But we have opted for the social and more sustainable path. We are proud that brands such as Birkenstock, Gabor, and Filling Pieces have chosen us as a production partner,” says José Pinto, the CEO of Procalçado Group. The company currently manufactures approx. 6 million sole pairs per year and generates sales of 25 million Euros. Sustainability is a daily concern for Pinto. Only recently, the company replaced plastic bottles and disposable plastic cups with glass bottles and porcelain cups. As early as 2017, 900 solar panels were installed on the roofs of the factory in order to generate most of the electricity required (approx. 5 gigawatts). “Renewable energy brought us a big step closer to our goal of CO2 neutral production. We had already reduced our water consumption by 60 percent through the implementation of a new cleaning process.”

UPCYCLE & RECYCLE

“Plastic is not a bad material in principle, but problems arise when it isn’t recycled,” Pinto explains. This is why the topic is a top priority in the production facility. The aim is to make the manufacturing process completely waste-free by 2020. In additions, CO2 emissions are to be reduced by a further 90 percent and all materials used in shoe production are to be made of recycled plastic. This means constant research. “The technology we use today to manufacture new shoes from defective ones didn’t exist a year ago,” Pinto reveals. The company’s own rubber boot and shoe brand Lemon Jelly is leading the way in testing new technologies and has won numerous innovation awards. It was only recently certified as 100 percent vegan by PETA. “This means that our shoes are not only manufactured without animal

The unmistakable Chelsea boots by Lemon Jelly are now made of recycled materials.

suffering, but also that producing them causes about six to ten times less greenhouse gas emissions than identical leather shoes. We strive to show that there are more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional production methods,” the CEO explains. Lemon Jelly accounts for one third of the group’s total turnover and is exported to more than 35 countries. The new “Wasteless” line, which currently consists of three models, will be presented at the Premium Berlin. Pinto is looking forward to another premiere in Berlin: “We are involved in a joint project that will introduce a sole for which the market was not yet ready 10 years ago in the Kraftwerk venue at Neonyt. I think everyone has finally understood that it’s time to act resolutely.”