Footwear and Leather
Access global markets by ensuring quality and performance
The footwear industry produces around 17 billion pairs of shoes each year, ranging from functional work boots to designer high heels. This high level of output poses considerable challenges for manufacturers and retailers, given seasonal changes in consumer tastes and complex government regulations for quality, safety and durability.
Manufacturing a single pair of shoes can involve over 100 processes, along with a wide range of materials such as textiles, leather, wood, plastic and metal. Because of the complexity of footwear products and other leather goods such as handbags, retailers and manufacturers are increasingly challenged to ensure that potentially harmful chemicals are not used in the product lifecycle. Legislators have responded to growing consumer concerns over chemical safety in footwear and other leather goods with increasingly stringent regulations that differ among countries.
Our affiliations:
- AAFA
- AATCC
- FDRA
Our footwear and leather testing services
TÜV SÜD is recognised and respected throughout the global retail industry. Our suite of services for footwear products and leather goods includes testing, pre-shipment inspection, auditing, product certification and system certification, as well as training and knowledge services. Our extensive network of laboratories across the globe features state-of-the-art testing equipment and technology for quality and performance testing. We also test for chemicals covered by REACH Regulation (EU), CPSIA (U.S.) and other international standards.
