"In the early part of this 21st century, mankind finds itself taking stock of the planet’s resources and thinking seriously about what can be done to ensure those resources continue to be available for the future. There is a worldwide recognition of the need to minimize the global consumption of natural resources, or utilize them in a sustainable manner. This concern over environmental issues is now a greater driving force in the consumer market than ever before, and increasingly influences the consumer’s choice of product. A product can be considered to be ‘sustainable’ if the materials and processes used in the manufacture do not adversely affect the potential for the same product to be manufactured in the future. Technology has transformed the way footwear products are manufactured, distributed and purchased, while enabling greater customer personalization and convenience. With these benefits comes the need to manage for significant environmental and reputational risks that can potentially impact the profitability, brand equity and operational capabilities of apparel and footwear companies. Consumers, especially Millennials, are increasingly conscious of the environmental and humane footprints their purchases are leaving behind. Buying decisions are now influenced by factors such as how and where items are produced. Under what working conditions, and how components are ethically sourced.

This book deals with the current topic of sustainable behavior and materials in footwear manufacturing. The aim of the book is to map out the various materials used in shoe production, also to demonstrate the design of sustainable manufacturing. The text is organized into seven chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on environment and chemical issues in tanneries and their mitigation measures. It presents an overview of tannery wastewater, the process involved in tanneries, and the mitigation measures followed by the tanneries. Chapter 2 highlights on the leather in the age of sustainability. This chapter presents the various points of assessments for the sustainability in the leather sector. The manufacturing processes and the environmental impacts are a decision-making factor for companies using leather and also the consumers buying the leather products. Chapter 3 focuses on blockchain technology in footwear supply chain. It covers the use of blockchain to support sustainable supply chain strategy, an overview of the leather and footwear processing chain and how to increase value in the footwear supply chain. Chapter 4 sheds light on strategies for leather product design. It focuses on strategies for leather materials, analysis for leather quality assessment, tanning in lab scale for leather, sustainable product design and development from product servicing. Chapter 5 is sustainable alternative material for footwear that focuses on sustainable materials for shoes, the sustainable materials list, the natural fibers and manmade or artificial fibers, and synthetic fibers as well. Chapter 6 sheds light on sustainability in footwear and leather sectors. It presents a focus on sustainability in the footwear industry and sustainability priorities and ethical issues for the value chain. Finally, it lays emphasis on the product certification for finished leathers. Chapter 7 focuses on leather industry waste management. The chapter highlights on standard practices for leather and footwear waste disposal. It also evaluates the waste management hierarchy and 3 R’s. This book serves as valuable source for students and specialists in the field. "