S&V African Leather Magazine Vol11 No5 May 2017
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Sector Reports
SHALC AGM: Export restriction debate drags on, but defending leather against animal welfare will be issue of the future.
Automotive: Move away from SA continues, and local hide prices must come down, says Adrian Visser.
Footwear: All sectors under pressure, says Gert Kruger.
Furniture: We need to export, and we have to be more competitive, says Rudolf Hanni.
Game skins: New association aims to up standards.
Education – the 2017 SLTC Convention
Back from the brink, but much more to do.
Opinion – What are Phthalates?
From columnist H. Procter.
Some hide and leather specifications
Compiled by the ISTT.
Product News
Lanxess: New developments in leather chemicals.
Trade Fairs
ACLE coincides with World Leather Congress.
Textiles
EU now a member of ICAC.
Advertisers in this Issue
BASF (2), DyStar Boehme Africa (4), ISTT (9), Lanxess (OFC), Mimosa Extract Co (10), Rolfes Chemicals (6), SCOT (8).
- Export restriction debate drags on, but defending leather against animal welfare will be issue of the future
Skin, Hide & Leather Council (SHALC) AGM, at the Intercontinental Hotel, OR Tambo Airport, May 26 ...moreAutomotive: Move away from SA continues, and local hide prices must come down
We could re-print the same report that was written last year as all those factors, trends and predictions held true for this past year as well, and will probably continue to do so going forward. The sourcing of business to Europe, the de-contenting and the swing away from leather interiors have continued this past year, resulting in a muc ...moreGame skins: New association aims to up standards
The new association for taxidermists and associated businesses had its formal launch in MayThe South African Taxidermy & Tannery Association (SATTA) was established in October 2016 with the aim to become the officially recognised body to serve the Taxidermy, Tannery and Dip & Pack industry in South Africa. We aim to actively work ...moreWhat are the Phthalates?
A chemical that is often used in the tanning industry is phthalic acid. At the turn of the last century the industry was fascinated by the development of chromium tanning, that aspired to be a viable alternative to the vegetable tanning method (that was universally practiced). During chromium tannage, masking salts can be added to increas ...more2017 SLTC Convention - Back from the brink, but much more to do
This year's SLTC Convention, its 65th - while short of where the organising committee would like it to be - showed significant improvement over last year's event, which was a low point in the SA Section's 75 year history. Attendance was marginally up, from 37 to 42. More importantly, 10 of them were from 7 tanneries, against 5 from 6 last ...moreFurniture: We need to export, and we have to be more competitive
The reality that the furniture manufacturing sector was negatively affected by the economic downturn could be seen in the drop of domestic leather sales. Initially, there was movement from high-end leathers to corrected grain leathers purely from a cost point of view. However, these sales reduced dramatically as the general consumer had t ...moreFootwear: All sectors under pressureThe domestic footwear industry has continued in a similar vein to 2016: that is a lot of uncertainty about future demand and what impact the ongoing political and economic instability will have on consumer behaviour. Different sectors of the footwear market have experienced varied trading conditions, with the civilian footwear sector (fas ...moreLanxess: New developments in leather chemicalsEdenvale, SA - The Leather Business Unit of specialty chemicals company Lanxess is one of the leading suppliers of system solutions for the leather industry – from chemicals for all stages of leather production to on-site technical support. With its product portfolio and processes for manufacturing leather for a range of purposes, i ...moreMore to do in ShanghaiACLE coincides with World Leather CongressShanghai, China - The 20th edition of the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) (August 30-September 1) will be preceded on August 29 by the 3rd World Leather Congress (WLC), also in Shanghai, themed 'The Leather Revolution'. These 2 major events are the most important to be organised in China ...moreEU now a member of ICACFrom the Secretariat ICAC Washington, USA – The membership of the EU in the ICAC is of strategic significance to the world cotton industry and the 150 million people involved in cotton production, marketing and processing each season. Some of the most important trade and research institutions in the world of cotton are h ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- ‘Footwear and leather goods sectors show united front at R-CTFL Masterplan review’
The R-CTFL Masterplan is currently under review, and a strategic planning session was recently convened with all key stakeholders and representatives present.The footwear and leather contingent participated fully in the session. Representatives from the dtic’s Footwear and Leather sector desk, SAFLEC, SAFLIA, and organised labour, i ...moreHow FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my life
An Informative & Nostalgic Letter written in April 2025 to two executives at Acushnet (USA) – A leading golf corporation which includes FootJoy Shoes.RE: FootJoy & II recall the very first pair of FootJoy golf shoes my late father bought for me in July 1976. This wasn’t my first interaction with the brand that I had al ...moreNational Leather and General Goods Strategy WorkshopOn 23 June, following months of fieldwork, B&M Analysts (BMA) hosted an online workshop to discuss the recovery of the handbags, belts, travel goods and allied manufacturing industries in SA.The industries, although very diverse, fall under the General Goods & Handbags Sector of the National Bargaining Council of the Leather Indus ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Cooperation between SMEs, academia and government can find solutions
Dr Cecilia China, AfriTech Organic Leather Co. Ltd, the Nelson Mandela Institution of Science & Technology She said Africa has the hides and skins but lacks organised systems to convert them into competitive products.She described her interactions with the Kiwango Leather Cluster with the goal of producing high quality, eco-frien ...moreSARLEN: Defining what needs to be doneThe SARLEN webinar on 12 June 2026 featured 3 main speakers. The entire presentation can be seen here: : https://drive.google.com/file/d/14xBkPMTqsln-YuqkCXsm_vsazDwNqL83/view?usp=sharing ...moreSA’s 2025 automotive leather exports: Down on 2024, but still good, on the face of it
Figures from NAAMSA’s Automotive Trade Manual 2026 Automotive components – exports by product Component category 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 % of total export value Ran ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- What if the respirator you rely on to protect your health never sealed properly?
I had the opportunity to present at the first PPE Conference in RSA, where I shared some early work we) have been exploring towards developing respirator designs better suited to the South African population.Below is a short AI-generated summary of the core message of the presentation.Respirators are often the last line of defence against ...moreThe concepts behind safety: Why bother with PPE on the ‘Road to Zero Harm’?
For over a decade, the ILO and other such bodies have been pushing this whole notion of "Zero Harm", "Road to Zero" and other such catchy titles, all pushing the idea most probably backed by one-sided research that "Zero Harm" is the only way and can be achieved if you work hard enough.My problem with this id ...moreChina-made firefighting equipment now needs verification of conformity with SANS standardsPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Firefighting equipment is among the 25 product categories published on 01 April by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition for a mandatory Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme.The system will require certain goods shipped from China to be tested and certified before they enter the ...more
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