Shoe manufacturers have found a “hole” in the mandatory labeling system

Russian shoe manufacturers have discovered the possibility of circumventing the mandatory shoe marking system, which unscrupulous market participants can easily take advantage of.

Yesterday, at the conference of the Vedomosti newspaper “Marking is a digital code of honest business,” Zenden Group Managing Partner Aleksadr Sarychev said that the main idea of ​​mandatory shoe marking in Russia is to reduce gray imports cannot be realized, due to the fact that at present moment, any Russian company that has identified itself as a manufacturer of shoes can freely order brands and stick them on shoes.

At the same time, it is completely impossible to track whether these shoes were actually produced at this enterprise domestically or were illegally brought into the territory of the Russian Federation. In fact, this means that the idea of ​​mandatory labeling, as a way to combat gray imports and counterfeiting, is not viable.

Participating in the conference, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Maxim Akimov, took note of this comment and said that this issue requires discussion and resolution.

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Meanwhile, other market participants also confirm that it is indeed possible to circumvent the mandatory labeling system quite simply. For example, Vladimir Timofeev, owner of the Russian shoe manufacturer Giotto, agrees. "Of course, if a shoe manufacturer orders labels, they must confirm that they actually produced a given quantity of shoes. But on the other hand, if they don't actually produce these shoes, but simply package them, and then somehow legally claim to have had a hand in their production, tracing the actual production process is virtually impossible," he reasons.

Mandatory labeling of shoes should be introduced in the Russian Federation from 1 July 2019 year. The main task of introducing a mandatory system for marking goods in our country is the fight against gray imports and counterfeit goods. At present, the first stage of the labeling experiment is underway, in which Russian shoe manufacturers and importers are invited to participate. Until now, many aspects of the functioning of the mandatory labeling system have remained unfinished, companies participating in the experiment help identify bottlenecks in the process of building a new system. Russian footwear manufacturers Zenden Group and Giotto are also part of the design and expert group for shoe labeling.