Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists (SLTC): Update from parent body
Published: 18th Aug 2023
In response to the report in the July issue on the SA Section of the SLTC, the parent body encourages southern African members to continue engaging with the society, and outlines changes which will make it easier to do so.
SLTC is an industry society that welcomes members from all around the world, although it is headquartered in the UK. For many years, South Africa had a membership that benefitted from a dedicated section of the society and the main SLTC body supported the section with reduced subscriptions and other benefits. Since the COVID period, the SA section has been unable to self-finance and unfortunately the main Council does not have funds to be able to take on full financial responsibility of this kind. However, SLTC values all its South African members who are still fully supported within the membership remit of the Society. The Council will welcome any opportunity to re-establish a SA section at such time that there is local membership to support that independently.
The Council would like to confirm that work is currently underway to make the Society more inclusive for our overseas members with:
- Journal revamp – we are moving to a digital format that will allow more accessible articles, open access papers and a wider contribution from the members.
- Website refresh – we are working to make the website more user friendly, with easy navigation and this can also include areas for more regional news. If any of our SA members would like to commit to supplying regular updates for a dedicated page on the website, please let us know.
- Annual Conference – we provided a completely remote access for the conference in 2021 during the Covid period where in-person attendance at events was not possible. The Council took the decision to continue to offer remote connection in 2022 and 2023 so that we could open the conference up to our overseas members. This is particularly relevant now that the SA section is no longer holding their own conference. The remote option will continue, and we encourage any member that cannot attend in person to join us remotely.
If any member has any queries or if you would like to contribute to future editions of the Journal or news for the Website, please contact the membership secretary, Pat Potter, on: office@sltc.org and she will assist or direct your enquiry as needed.
Tags: Pat Potter, SLTC
Footwear Industry Articles
- Nostalgia: Hub Bijsterveld : Cheese & wine after a career solving consumer complaints
Harare, Zimbabwe – I note Hub Bijsterveld's memorial (09 February) in the Newsletter. Just a snippet about him. He was one of the best, if not the best chemist in the whole of the worldwide Bata Shoe Organisation. We used to have regular annual "Chemeets" in various parts of the world for our Chemists and Hub stood ou ...moreObituary: Zelton Wiskin – footwear agent (24/03/1958-24/01/2025) :‘He loved to please people - regardless of the consequences’
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Retired former footwear agent Zelton Wiskin died in January, after a long illness, aged 66.Born in Johannesburg, he left school early to work for his stepfather, Aubrey Fuchs, who was also an agent.He represented 2 footwear companies for most of his working career – women’s footwear manufactur ...moreWhat to do about Temu and Shein: SA’s apparel retailers look to government, and even Trump, to slow the flood
It’s quite funny, really.Seldom have so many South African apparel retailers been as united as they are in their opposition to twin international threats, ecommerce retailers Temu and Shein, while simultaneously, many of their own managements and staffs – and their families – are not-so-secret customers of those same ent ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- RETANNING CHEMISTRY - LEFTOVERS
The fundamental function of retanning has been to impart the final crust leather properties to the leather. The strength, softness, grain break, crust resistance (sweat, fastness, water spotting), fullness, drape, roundness, run, and nap properties; are common properties imparted by a typical retannage. The traditional leather science tex ...moreTransforming the leather sector in Ethiopia
A new leather processing programme, 42 new enterprises, 22 women's saving groups, and 2,876 young people with enhanced business development capacities—these are just some of the achievements within The Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employment Creation (LISEC).The three-and-a-half-year Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employme ...moreCall for joint research proposals in agro-processing (food & feed) and leather value chain development in Kenya and UgandaNairobi, Kenya / Kampala, Uganda (06 January 2025) –The Ugandan National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) and the National Research Fund (NRF) Kenya have issued a bilateral joint call for collaborative research proposals under the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI). This initiative aims to generate critical knowle ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Artificial intelligence for Clinical Pathology: Data-efficient foundation model for biomarker detection
Bremen, Germany (02 September 2024) – The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems shows promise in medicine, where they can be used to detect diseases earlier, improve treatments, and ease staff workloads. But their performance depends on how well the AI is trained. A new multi-task approach to training AI makes it possible to t ...moreFostering safety through commitment by empowering workforce development and lifelong dedication
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (24 October 2024) – Workplace safety is not merely a regulatory requirement; it is a fundamental aspect of organisational health and success. At its core lies commitment—a steadfast dedication to safeguarding the well-being of employees. When commitment permeates an organisation, it creates a culture ...moreCircular economy: Fungal mycelium as the basis for sustainable products
Potsdam, Germany (02 September 2024) – Fungi have more to offer than meets the eye. Their thread-like cells, which grow extensively and out of sight underground like a network of roots, offer huge potential for producing sustainable, biodegradable materials. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in ...more
© S&V Publications
