French industry body the Fédération Française de la Cordonnerie Multiservice (FFCM), which represents shoe repair service providers, has launched a new consumer-focused campaign. By Leatherbiz.

It chose the summer holidays to encourage consumers to think ahead and make arrangements to have shoes and boots that they already own repaired and ready for winter.

This follows an earlier, successful campaign that FFCM ran in the spring and is also part of a wider campaign that national body Alliance France Cuir is running to make consumers aware of the repairability of all products made from leather.

FFCM said its aim is promote sustainable consumption in France by making sure shoes are wearable for longer and, in so doing sustain the artisan cobblers who operate in towns and cities across France.

“As winter approaches,” the organisation said, “it is crucial to remind consumers that repairing footwear not only makes good economic sense, but is also good for the environment. If consumers bring us their shoes and boots to be repaired, they contribute to waste reduction and to prolonging the life of the products they have bought.”

The campaign consists of a series of materials to convey this message that shoe repair professionals will be able to display in their shops and on social media.