The meeting highlighted the Catalan cluster model and the international projection of the leather sector.

On 4 May, Leather Cluster Barcelona welcomed an institutional and business delegation from Mongolia as part of the European project ITDM – International Trade Development in Mongolia, an initiative promoted by the European Union to foster the competitiveness, economic diversification and internationalisation of the Asian country.

The delegation was made up of representatives from Mongolia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Light Industry, the Mongolian Export Cluster Network (MECN), the Mongolian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National University of Mongolia and several export clusters linked to the leather, textile and cosmetics sectors.

The aim of the visit was to learn first-hand about European best practices in cluster development, public-private cooperation, internationalisation and sectoral competitiveness strategies. In this context, Barcelona was chosen as an international benchmark thanks to the Catalan cluster model and the business and innovation ecosystem promoted by ACCIÓ.

Leather Cluster Barcelona was selected as one of the reference clusters for the visit for its track record, its ability to articulate collaborative projects and its role in transforming a sector that combines industrial tradition, innovation, sustainability and international projection.

During the day in Igualada, participants were able to learn about the cluster’s operations, its governance model and the main lines of work it drives together with its member companies. The visit also made it possible to share experiences around innovation, sustainability, the circular economy, internationalisation and the evolution of the leather value chain.

In addition, the delegation had the opportunity to visit companies in the sector and experience first-hand an industrial ecosystem rooted in its territory while at the same time oriented towards quality, research, differentiation and openness to new markets.

For some time now, Leather Cluster Barcelona has been establishing synergies and building collaborations with different business organisations, institutions and international associations, in areas ranging from industry, research and innovation to sustainability, the circular economy, sustainable fashion, training and communication.

In this regard, welcoming the Mongolian delegation represented a new opportunity to strengthen the cluster’s international ties and project the knowledge, experience and potential of the Catalan leather sector beyond its immediate environment.

The delegation rated the visit and the exchange of experiences very positively, particularly highlighting the model of collaboration between companies, knowledge centres and institutions that Leather Cluster Barcelona promotes, as well as the sector’s capacity to evolve, innovate and generate value from its territory.

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.