31 January 2023, Mumbai
India plans to make Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standards mandatory for footwear from July 2023. The only exemption will be for handmade footwear and those made by units with less than a Rs 50 lakh turnover.
But the Confederation of Indian Footwear Industries says there is a set of standards that is currently mandatory only for certain varieties of shoes and the plan to make the standards mandatory for footwear in general will make it difficult for the industry to forecast designs and dimensions. The association says the standards may affect the creativity of the industry and that in any case the industry continues to interact with the BIS to give its inputs regarding standards.
India has a two per cent share in the international footwear market and the plan is to increase it to ten per cent by 2030. The footwear industry is focusing on quality and reducing import dependence so as to capture a larger share of the international market. With western buyers looking at India as a potential supplier, Indian manufacturers are looking at increasing capacities. Sports shoes have the highest potential for higher exports. India has immense potential in the footwear sector and ethical and responsible practices like zero-waste discharge, salt-free tanning, and occupational health and safety interventions can increase production and export ten times in the near future.
