Vinyl (polyvinyl chloride) is increasingly more present in the product lines of companies specialized in sports gear. An example is Umbro, which uses vinyl in the production of football shoes, both in the male as in the female lines, for all ages.

One of the advantages of vinyl in relation to other raw-materials used in the manufacture of footwear is that the material gives greater protection and comfort to the user. “Today the quality of vinyl increased a lot in relation to some years ago, that’s why all footwear lines by Umbro uses 99% of vinyl in their composition,” comments Adriano Lopes, Products manager at Umbro Brazil.

According to the executive, vinyl has a lower cost than other materials used for making footwear. “With a low cost, vinyl gives us a better price margin and therefore we may offer a product which is more accessible to the final consumer,” he adds. As well as meeting the domestic market, Umbro Brasil exports about 20% of their production of vinyl shoes to countries in Latin America, such as Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

With the economy warming up and increasing the purchasing power of the population, perspectives for the future, according to the manager at Umbro, are good, but there is concern with the competition. “With the heated up economy bringing new consumers to this market niche, our perspectives for the future are great. On the other hand, there are new and great players coming in,” states Lopes.

This year, Umbro plans on surpassing the R$ 110 million revenue in Brazil, with a 14% increase in relation to 2007. The states which have greater participation in the brand’s sales are in the Southeast and South of Brazil. The footwear line is amongst the highest selling products. “Our collections are tighter and focused on each target market. Planning, adequate products and a solid base of clients and consumers are the pillars of the business,” evaluates the director of Umbro Brasil, Paulo César Verardi. The executive highlights that Brazil is one of the eight key-markets for Umbro in 2008, next to the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, China and Japan.

For the executive director at the Instituto do PVC, Miguel Bahiense Neto, vinyl is gaining more and more space in the various segments where it is used. “Since it is a material that ensures comfort, lightness and flexibility and because it is resistant, the demand for it is becoming constant among the brands. Another important characteristic is that vinyl is 100% recyclable,” states the executive.