UNAC demand change to made in Italy rule

Italian shoe manufacturers are asking the Italian government to rethink its efforts to crack down on overseas manufacturers using 'sole made in Italy' labels. Earlier this year the Italian association of accessories and components for footwear and leathergoods, the Unione Nazionale Accessori e Componenti, succeeded in winning from the Italian government a regulation that banned Italian shoe component manufacturers from using 'sole made in Italy' tags that could be seen by the final consumer. The move was designed to stem a growing trade in footwear produced by overseas manufacturers but carrying 'made in Italy' tags on soles supplied by Italian companies. UNAC agreed at its meeting earlier last month to press the Italian government to give component manufacturers a dispensation to sell large stocks of components already branded with the 'sole made in Italy' mark. UNAC claims that without a transitory arrangement there will be serious consequences for the Italian component industry. The sector's 2,500 companies employ 35,000 workers .