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The Interreg NEXT MED project MEDinCHAMBERS will hold its Cross-border Bootcamp and Matchmaking Study Visits in Barcelona from 15 to 17 September 2026. The three-day programme will be conducted in English and will combine practical training, collaborative workshops, networking activities and study visits focused on the green transition of the textile, clothing, leather and footwear sector.
The initiative will bring together project participants, business support organisations and sector stakeholders to strengthen skills, exchange good practices and explore practical solutions for reducing the environmental impact of fashion and leather value chains.
Through interactive learning and direct exposure to companies, research centres and local industrial ecosystems, the bootcamp will support MEDinCHAMBERS’ objective of fostering a more sustainable, innovative and collaborative Mediterranean business environment.
The first day will take place at AMBIT Hub and will introduce participants to the main sustainability challenges facing the fashion industry.
The programme will include:
- an interactive introduction to sustainability in the fashion sector;
- collaborative exercises to map current sustainability challenges;
- practical activities for calculating the carbon footprint of real products;
- case-based discussions on production hotspots and opportunities to reduce environmental impacts across the textile, clothing, leather and footwear value chain.
The second day will be dedicated to a study visit to the Igualada Leather Cluster, providing participants with first-hand insight into one of Europe’s leading leather industrial ecosystems.
Activities will include:
- an introduction to the Spanish leather sector, its value chain and Igualada’s industrial heritage;
- technical visits to IBadia and the Igualada Leather Museum;
- a networking lunch at the headquarters of Leather Cluster Barcelona;
- visits to the A3 Leather Innovation Centre and IDR, the collective wastewater treatment facility serving Igualada’s tanning industry.
The visits will highlight sustainable leather-finishing processes, quality control, applied research, digitalisation, water management, resource recovery and circular economy solutions.
Day 3 – From circular design to green compliance
The final day will return to AMBIT Hub for a second working session focused on transforming knowledge into practical actions.
Participants will work on:
- concrete strategies to reduce production impacts;
- circular economy approaches for the fashion industry;
- design-for-circularity solutions;
- waste mapping and reduction scenarios;
- green legislation and regulatory compliance through quizzes, role-playing exercises and an open question-and-answer session.
By combining training, peer learning, matchmaking and study visits, the Barcelona bootcamp will help participants strengthen their capacity to support greener production models, transfer good practices and build new cross-border cooperation opportunities across the Mediterranean.
A social dinner will also take place on 14 September 2026 at Mescladís Gràcia, offering participants an additional opportunity to meet and connect before the official programme begins.
Save the date: Barcelona, 15–17 September 2026.
For more information, find the full agenda of the event here.
