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EMERGING MARKET FOR FOC - LEATHER ARTICLES: A REAL NEED OR JUST MARKETING EDGE

Ecological aspects of leather footwear Preference for leather whose production process does not pollute, thus protecting the environment: If the footwear items made from such ecological leather should be labeled accordingly:. Quality aspects of leather footwear Style, Maintenance – low S.D.

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EMERGING MARKET FOR FOC - LEATHER ARTICLES: A REAL NEED OR JUST MARKETING EDGE

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  1. Ecological aspects of leather footwear Preference for leather whose production process does not pollute, thus protecting the environment: If the footwear items made from such ecological leather should be labeled accordingly: Quality aspects of leather footwear Style, Maintenance – low S.D. Durability, Special finishings – high S.D. EMERGING MARKET FOR FOC - LEATHER ARTICLES: A REAL NEED OR JUST MARKETING EDGE DESELNICU DANA CORINA, IOANNIDIS IOANNIS INCDTP - Division: Leather and Footwear Research Institute, 93 Ion Minulescu, 031215, Bucharest, Romania, d_deselnicu@yahoo.com The purpose of this study was to examine relevant aspects of quality of ecological leather used in footwear manufacture in Romania, from the clients’ (buyers’) perspective. The main method used in the study was the survey employing questionnaire application to a non-probabilistic sample of Romanian footwear clients. The paper examines conceptual models proposed in relevant quality literature, analyses the data obtain from the filed study, and advances a conceptual and applied framework for quality and ecological aspects for leather-made footwear, from a customer’s perspective. Research Methodology Research method: exploratory survey Research instrument: self-administered questionnaire - 20 items: ecological leather (4 items); quality of leather footwear (5 items); confort of leather footwear (6 items); buying behavior of clients of footwear articles (5 items); 3 demographics questions: age, gender, education. Likert close-ended answer scale was used, ranging from 1 to 5. Ecological Aspects in Leather and Footwear Industry Global scenario towards "cleaner production“ - severe environmental challenges due to pollution caused by the leather industry: - Use of numerous chemicals in the production process, and their discharge; - Chemicals with toxic effect because of residues in finished products; - Solid waste contaminated with toxic pollutants (chromium contaminated solid waste is hazardous). Requirements for tanneries: - To reduce the chromium content of the effluent discharges and the sludge; - To operate within strict legislative boundaries: IPPC Directive (EC 1996/ 61/ EC, CLP Dir. 1272/2008), Dir. REACh). Data Analysis and Interpretation Research Sample 30 individuals - Clients visiting a footwear store in a Mall in Bucharest: Buying behavior for leather footwear All buying criteria - high S.D.; Store, Trend – low S.D.; Advertising, Price - highest S.D. Availability to pay more for footwear manufactured from ecological leather: diverse opinions (standard deviation (S.D.) = 1.014) Comfort aspects of leather footwear Smell, Colour migration – low S.D. Isolation, Comfort –low S.D. Antifungal treatment, Vapor evaporation - high S.D. Correlation Analysis Conclusions Quality, comfort and ecological aspects are highly associated, indicating their similarity and their belonging to the same conceptual areas. Ecological aspects concerning leather and footwear are not yet popular and familiar to Romanian respondents, although a positive reaction to these concepts does exist. Various comfort and quality aspects of footwear items are very important for the consumers, and they are correlated with each other. The buying behavior of the investigated Romanian clients is mostly guided by price of footwear items, by trend and fashion. This framework can provide a valuable practical basis for the development of new ecological products in the leather and footwear areas, and can also guide their introduction to the market based on assessed consumer preferences in Romania. In the future, a larger empirical study can be employed to further investigate the validity of the framework. Acknowledgments This work has been financed by the European Fund for Regional Development and the Romanian Government in the framework of Sectoral Operational Programme CCE-AXIS 2, Operation 2.1.2, through the INNOVA-LEATHER project: «Innovative technologies for leather sector increasing technological competitiveness by RDI, quality of life and environmental protection»,  contract no. 242/20.09.2010 ID 638 COD SMIS – CSNR 12579. 4 TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS ICAMS 2012 2012 2012 27-29 September, Bucharest, Romania

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