Leather Cluster Barcelona coordinates this European Erasmus+ KA220 project

On 27 February, the first working session of the European project DesignSmart took place at the Adoberia Bella, the cluster’s headquarters.

DesignSmart is a European project coordinated by Leather Cluster Barcelona, aimed at strengthening the competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of the sectors linked to design, materials and production, connecting companies, professionals, knowledge centres and European initiatives.

DesignSmart was created with the aim of driving eco-design, sustainability and innovation strategies, promoting a comprehensive vision that integrates all the stakeholders involved: tanneries, manufacturers, designers, brands and technology suppliers.

Following the project’s Kick-off Meeting held last December in Italy, this first meeting with the sector’s value chain, organised at the Adoberia Bella, took the form of a Focus Group. During the session, among other matters, the results of the survey in which Leather Cluster Barcelona member companies took part were analysed, with the aim of identifying challenges and opportunities in key areas such as innovation, materials, production processes and sustainability.

This first Focus Group was a key space for identifying current challenges in sustainable design, gathering the real needs of companies, validating the project’s lines of work and generating strategic debate on the future of the leather product in the context of the green transition.

The active participation of members is essential to ensure that the project responds to the business reality of the sector and generates a tangible impact. The project foresees the continued involvement of different value-chain profiles throughout the coming phases, with the aim of incorporating a broad and diverse representation of the sector. For this reason, at Leather Cluster Barcelona we call on member companies to take part in the project.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is a competitive cooperation environment that promotes cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects aimed at driving the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector within the framework of Shared Value policies. The cluster is an accredited entity within the Catalonia Clusters programme and is supported by Acció.