The industry is made up of 8,000 companies. The most innovative of these are developing by virtue of̀ processes derived from research: improvements in the quality of hides and of production, innovative industrial processes, environmentally-friendly practices, etc. New companies are also being created on the back of new concepts.
To promote the creation of new businesses, the CNC and the Fédération de la Chaussure [‘Footwear Federation’], with the support of CTC, the Economic Development Committee for the Footwear, Leather, Leather Goods and Gloves Industry, set up the Au-delà du Cuir [‘Beyond Leather’] association, or AdC for short, which is supported by the industry as a whole.
AdC provides guidance and advice, and facilitates the funding of projects managed by young entrepreneurs, drawing on a seed-capital fund and a guarantee fund. The AdC association provides support for small workshops producing footwear and leather goods: they hold special know-how, which represents a heritage worth protecting.