- LEFASO proposes a 40-hectare innovation center to boost local material supply and reduce import dependency.
- The center aims to strengthen Vietnam's leather, footwear, and apparel sectors through R&D and global collaboration.
- It could support regional supply chains by exporting materials to countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia.
To enhance the competitiveness of the country's leather, footwear, textile, and apparel sectors and strengthen the domestic supply chain, the Vietnam Leather, Footwear, and Handbag Association (LEFASO) has proposed establishing an innovation, research and development, and trading center for fashion materials in Vietnam.
At the Government Meeting, Nguyen Thị Thanh Xuan, the Vice Chairwoman and Secretary General of LEFASO, stressed that outsourcing has resulted in the leather and footwear sector's continued high reliance on imported materials. She advocated that developing a local supply of raw materials is vital to sustainable development and more new orders.
LEFASO engaged in collaborative discussions in the sectors, proposing the establishment of a 40-hectare centre for innovation and supply of materials for the fashion sector with the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association and the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association.
Xuan further noted that the centre can only become a reality with strong support from the Government and by going 'above and beyond' what are already innovative policies.
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To aid the project's progress, she expressed her desire for Vietnamese diplomatic missions and trade offices abroad to share best practices and global insights.
The proposed center would enhance supply chains, stimulate design and business model innovation, and increase the source diversity of materials. In addition to supplying local needs, it could also supply to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, and other nations in the region.
To establish cross-sector collaboration and create a more independent fashion supply chain in Vietnam, Xuan also called on the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other relevant agencies to establish an overarching policy framework.