On 29 May 2026, a working meeting for the 3S4Leather Project was held at the facilities of the Portuguese Footwear Technology Centre (CTCP) in São João da Madeira. The meeting focused on reviewing the progress of the work completed to date and defining the next stages of the project.
The meeting enabled the project partners to assess the activities carried out so far, while aligning future strategies and actions in support of the project's objectives. These include the valorisation of leather waste and the development of sustainable, sensor-enabled solutions for the footwear industry through the use of additive manufacturing processes.
The 3S4Leather project is a Business R&D – Co-promotion initiative funded by COMPETE 2030 (Project No. 17350). It is led by INDUTAN – Comércio e Indústria de Peles, S.A., with CTIC – Leather Technology Centre, the University of Aveiro (UA), the Portuguese Footwear Technology Centre (CTCP), and Fernando Ferro & Irmão, S.A. as co-promoters. The project runs until 31 December 2027.
The initiative focuses on the valorisation of leather waste generated by the tanning industry and the development of new sustainable, sensor-enabled solutions using additive manufacturing technologies, namely Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).