Through the subproject "better meet technical requirements" - funded by the EU Trade and Investment Facilitation Project with the main performance of the Institute of Footwear Research, Association footwear and Handbags of Vietnam and the University of Northampton UK, hundreds of Vietnamese businesses have been educated and attended seminars related to technical standards and EU consumer safety regulations such as general provisions on product safety, reach regulations on chemical safety, labeling regulations and ecological labels.
The main objective of the project is to improve the capacity of SMEs in the footwear industry to comply with the EU technical requirements for export products and to establish consulting and testing services following international standards that are regconized by reputable suppliers at an appropriate cost.

Over the past two years, the project has created a great opportunity for Vietnamese associations and footwear enterprises to have access to experienced foreign experts, to gain knowledge of the industry, to raise high competitiveness when exporting goods to Europe and the global market. Businesses are trained and consulted directly to better meet TBT requirements as well as share best practices in TBT compliance and supporting the sustainable development of the footwear industry.
This project has also helped footwear producers in the footwear industry to access EU safety standards, which helps businesses raise awareness and responsibility for their products. Businesses have improved awareness about the negative effects of chemicals in the footwear products to health of consumers and the harmful effects of pollution generated in the production process for the environment.

In addition, the project has helped footwear companies learn about the chemical testing requirements for the product. Enterprises were introduced to the testing process, conformity assessment procedures and operating capacity of domestic and foreign laboratories in Vietnam, to verify the quality of products, meet the requirements of the EU market.
With the implementation of EU technical requirements, the demand for chemical testing of footwear products has increased, which creats a boost for domestic laboratories to invest, purchase equipments and training human resources to improve production capacity and meet the test requirements of enterprises.
The project also helps to meet the technical requirements of the EU market, make businesses focus on product development, design improvement, enhanced linkages and timely changes in the market and consumer tastes, towards the branding of the business. This is also an important foundation for the footwear enterprises to gradually shift from the mode of production for exporting to the mode of raw materials purchasing to produce and export final products to the market.