Fungicide launch planned
Published: 15th Oct 2025
Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – We are still fortunate to have a solid business in difficult times. But we are positive. Always on the lookout for new opportunities.
We do actually have a new fungicide that we are launching. Locally manufactured with international backing, very modern technology. More in the next issue.
Footwear Industry Articles
- The basic that must be comfortable, last for a long time, and cost very little
This is the peak season for retailers to stock school shoes, the unglamorous staple which underpins so much of the SA footwear industry. Palm Footwear is one of the most successful school shoe suppliers, and here MD Rajeev Pattundeen answers our questions about what consumers expect and retailers need from this category, and what the future holds. ...moreMalawi: Imports, forex stifle local leather sectorThe Malawi Leather Industry Association says it is struggling to meet the annual demand for shoes, producing only 200 000 pairs against demand of 15.5 million, largely due to competition from imports and forex shortages hindering raw material imports.Data from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (Smedi), which is championin ...moreAre big shoe brands holding back better shoes?On the 28 June 2025 episode of The Energy Blueprint Podcast, Xero Shoes co-founder Steven Sashen made a striking claim: a major sports brand secretly tested a more natural shoe that cut injury rates by half compared to their top-selling model — and then shelved it.A more natural shoe, as Sashen describes, is desi ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Only Natural Design Competition winners visit the showcase at Material Matters London
London, UK (15 September 2025) – The Only Natural International Student Design Competition 2025 has announced its 7 category winners.The competition looks at the environmental crisis created by synthetic, non-biodegradable materials, championing organic alternatives including wool, hemp, wood and leather. In response to fast fashion ...moreTopsoil expands into finished goods
Kafue, Zambia - Topsoil General Dealers Company established a hides and skins trading business in 2009. In 2022, with the help of the Crocodile Farmers Association of Zambia, it established a basic tannery to process lower grades crocodile skins into leather. The tannery installed capacity is 150 skins production per month from tan to fin ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourICLT – no need to mourn too muchRegretfully the University of Northampton decided in 2023 to close the Institute of Creative Leather Technologies, which in a variety of forms can be dated back to 1891. Apparently, the number of students declined over the years, the costs increased and the institution became unsustainable leading to ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Obituary: Ernie Wallis, Sheq Safety (14/07/1959 – 16/08/2025): In all things, hard, fair and respected
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Ernie was raised in a strong, principled household. Ernie’s father – a naval man with sharp business acumen and a steady temperament – and his mother, who was uncompromising in her pursuit of fairness, instilled in him the values of discipline, justice, and integrity that would define his l ...moreSurviving the safety footwear industry: The Simpsons meet Armageddon
ProFit Safety Footwear national sales manager Nick Bryant was asked on his 45th birthday (20th of August) whether he still enjoys what he does for a living. “Absolutely. I love it. I live for it,” he replied. “And as for how… well, like most things in life, you need to have a serious passion for it… and an ...moreUpdated safety footwear standards: No clarity after marathon meetingPretoria, Gauteng, SA – South African safety footwear manufacturers and importers will have to wait until 08 October to get answers from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) after a 3-hour, 30-minute Microsoft Teams ‘stakeholder meeting’ on 11September overran its timeslot – and that was afte ...more
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