Technical Barriers to Trade of Leather and Shoes: Potential Impacts and Challenges to the Brazilian Market

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to analyse both the current and potential non-tariff barriers imposed by the international market to Brazilian leather products. These barriers are bureaucratic restrictions to trade due to concerns on both environmental and consumers'' protection. They are legal, administrative and technical in nature, but this paper focuses only on technical barriers related to the EEC directives which encompass restrictive presence of chemical substances. The paper is based on a summary of the results of a project developed by the Technological and Innovation Observatory (TIO) entitled "Technical Barriers to Trade of the Brazilian Leather and Shoes" [1]. TIO is composed by a group of researchers from Institute for Technological Research of Sao Paulo State (Brazil), and its mission is to support public and private decision making process through an articulation and effective participation of interested stakeholders in issues relevant to the Sao Paulo State economy. The research methodology consisted of (i) literature review; (ii) interviews with professionals from companies'' associations, universities, and research institutions; and also (iii) a brainwriting session with professionals with expertise in leather and shoes. The literature review showed that the major leather producing countries worldwide in 2003 were USA, Brazil and China, each one producing over than 30 million pieces per year. The EU production also surpassed 30 million pieces in that year [2]. As it regards to the world shoes market, the leading producing countries in 2005 were China, India and Brazil.