Belcinto is one of the most relevant Portuguese leather goods companies, successfully combining tradition with digitalisation while pursuing the best sustainable practices. The company stands out for its commitment to excellence at every level, from product design and craftsmanship to corporate practices and strategic management. Belcinto’s active involvement in two major EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) mobilising agendas in Portugal - BioShoe4All https://bioshoesforall.pt/  and FAIST https://faist.pt/  - demonstrates its ambition to excel across all fronts.

The turning point towards sustainability
The BioShoes4All project represents a turning point for the leather goods sector in Portugal, combining tradition, innovation, and sustainability. As one of the leading companies in this sector, Belcinto’s intervention in BioShoes4All demonstrates that reducing ecological footprints, experimenting with innovative leathers, and reusing production waste is not just a matter of technology - it is also a matter of skills. By combining eco-design expertise, material science knowledge, life cycle analysis, circular economy practices, and traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation, Belcinto equips itself to lead the Portuguese leather goods industry toward a more sustainable and competitive future.

Belcinto’s first line of action in Bioshoes4all focused on the development of eco-efficient products, including two wallets and a leather travel bag. By reducing material use, opting for lighter leathers, and eliminating unnecessary linings, the company managed to cut the ecological footprint of these products by 10 to 40 percent, depending on the model. Achieving such results requires more than creative flair. It calls for designers who can apply eco-design principles, engineers who understand how to optimise materials without compromising durability, and specialists capable of balancing environmental efficiency with the expectations of consumers who demand both quality and elegance.

The company also ventured into the use of innovative leathers developed within the project, applying them to new product designs. The initiative underscores the importance of skills in material science and product testing. Teams must be able to evaluate the performance of experimental materials, adapt manufacturing techniques to accommodate them, and ensure that they meet the stringent quality standards associated with Portuguese craftsmanship. This is where the marriage between tradition and innovation becomes most apparent: the artisan’s eye for detail now works hand in hand with the scientist’s ability to validate new materials.

Perhaps the most forward-looking of Belcinto’s interventions is its ongoing research into circular economy practices, particularly the reuse of production waste. By exploring how strips of leather left over from belt production can be woven into wallets or other products, the company is pushing the boundaries of creativity and sustainability. This line of work demands not only technical knowledge in process adaptation but also a bold willingness to experiment, prototype, and test what were once considered mere scraps. It also requires a shift in mindset: designers and workers must learn to see value in materials traditionally viewed as waste.

When technology intersects tradition
The Portuguese leather goods sector is undergoing a profound digital transformation, and Belcinto is once again at the forefront of this change through its intervention in the FAIST project. Belcinto’s involvement in the FAIST project underlines the importance of skills at the intersection of tradition and technology. To make automatic sewing, 3D bag design, and large-scale digitisation a reality, the company and the sector need professionals who master automation, digital design, data integration, and innovation management. These skills will not only boost productivity but also ensure the leather goods industry remains competitive in a future shaped by customisation, digitalisation, and sustainability.

In the area of automatic sewing, Belcinto’s contribution aims to redefine what has long been considered one of the most labour-intensive stages of leather goods and footwear production. To bring such an ambition to life, the sector needs professionals capable of combining mechanical know-how with programming expertise, as well as engineers who can adapt traditional sewing practices into efficient automated processes. Equally important are specialists who can guarantee that the high standards of craftsmanship associated with Portuguese leather goods are preserved, even when the process is entrusted to machines.

The lack of intuitive digital tools for the design of bags and accessories is now addressed by FAIST. By developing a system that allows designers to sketch and model products in 3D while generating the necessary technical documentation for production, Belcinto is piloting a solution that helps to streamline the entire design-to-production pipeline. Here, the skillset required extends beyond digital proficiency in 3D modelling software. It calls for product engineers who can transform creative ideas into manufacturable solutions, as well as designers who are ready to embrace new technologies without losing their natural creative flow. This intersection between artistry and digital engineering is where the sector’s next competitive advantage will emerge.

A third strand of Belcinto’s intervention lies in tackling the challenge of integrating decades of physical templates into modern digital systems. For too long, the coexistence of cardboard cut parts and digital processes has slowed down workflows and created inefficiencies. By digitising archives and allowing for mass data integration, Belcinto is contributing to the sector’s long-awaited leap into fully digital production environments. Success here requires not only technical competence in scanning and data processing but also strong change management skills, since the transition from physical archives to digital workflows represents a cultural as much as a technological shift.

Belcinto’s interventions in both BioShoes4All and FAIST reveal a clear pattern: the success of eco-design, material innovation, circular practices, digital design, automation, and process digitisation depends above all on the skills of the people who make them possible. From artisans learning to work with lighter leathers and recycled strips, to engineers mastering 3D design systems or automation programming, the company’s commitment to innovation and sustainability is rooted in continuous upskilling.