S&V African Leather Magazine Vol15 No8 August 2021
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IN THIS ISSUE:
3 Sam Setter's Pills
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
03 Sustainability
- The Sustainable Leather Foundation, just a year old, has set itself a very ambitious target - lifting the global tanning industry, from grass roots to blue chip, to a sustainable model. And it's signing up members. MD Deborah Taylor explains.
07 An Eclectic View
- H. Proctor writes about Benford's Law. And if you understand him, you're very clever.
09 Sheep & Goat Skin Leathers
- Reducing water and chemical usage in tanneries by using inert polymer spheres in the drums, by Dr Clive Jackson-Moss of the ISTT.
12 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
13 Trade Fairs & Academic Conferences
- The IULTCS to support leather students to virtually attend the XXXVI Congress in Ethiopia.
- Summary of information on the XXXVI IULTCS and the 5th World Leather Congress in November.
Advertisers in this Issue
ISTT (02), Italtan (11), Mimosa (10), Rolfes Leather Division (06), Stahl (OFC), Woodheads (08).
In The Next Issue
- Saag Jonker, whose name is synonymous with the ostrich industry, has just turned 80. We look at his contribution to the industry, and his plans going forward.
- Furniture leathers.
- Out on August 20.
- Sustainable Leather Foundation: The goal is to lift the entire tanning industry, from grass roots to blue chip, into a sustainable model
Internationally, leather is under fire both from (unfairly, generally speaking) the animal welfare lobby and (with much more justification in some instances) the environmental lobby. In Europe, which is the epicentre of anti-leather sentiment, individuals and companies in the leather industry have responded by creating bodies to both educate the public of leather's bona fides and to encourage the leather industry to live up to those expectations. ...moreTanzanian leather industry remains at low ebb
Himo Town/Area Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania - The response from Leather Association of Tanzania executive secretary Freddy Silvester Kabala to our questions for the feature on sheep and goat skins leathers in the last issue arrived too late for inclusion. Here are his answers: ...moreBENFORD’S LAW
When asked if the starting number digits of a dataset have equal chances of being there, the average person will say yes. That is in a collection of data the number digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 could appear, if equal, 11.1% of the time. Why wouldn’t they appear with equal randomness? So, to test this world hypothesis, data scientists, over 90 years, tried to show that digits in a data number set would appear 11.1% of the time. ...more
Footwear Industry Articles
- A practical joker, honest and generous in all things – except maybe biltong
Obituary: Howard Charles Patterson-Roberts – footwear agent (22/06/1951-08/03/2025) ...moreNostalgia: 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Tanners should try to source their hides from farmers who are practising sustainable farming techniques ...moreThe subjective nature of auditing
This month’s article has a personal perspective, perhaps you might say a subjective perspective, and that is the challenge of applying consistent approaches and standards to auditing. I’m speaking here from recent personal experience – names and organisations are excluded for obvious reasons, but the case study is real. ...moreUpdate on outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in KZNPretoria, Gauteng, SA (27 February 2025) – The Department recently received test results confirming the ongoing presence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) viruses in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Cattle at a dip tank in Mtubatuba have tested positive for FMD. These cattle showed clinical signs of FMD in December, prompting sample collection ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Beier Group, Department of Higher Education and SETA ‘better together’
Pinetown, KZN, SA – The Beier Group, which includes the BBF Safety Group, in December hosted the Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET) and the FP&M SETA for an oversight visit to ensure that state funds are being used in accordance with the Sectoral Skills Plan.DHET deputy minister Dr Mimmy Martha Gondwe and SETA ...moreUnderstanding respirator PPE
The subject of Respirator Personal Protective Equipment is confusing until one understands the basic concept requirements.OHS Act defines Respiratory Protective Equipment as a device which is worn over at least the mouth and nose to prevent the inhalation of air borne hazardous chemical substances and which is of a type or conforms to a s ...moreA guide for SA employers in understanding the COIDA Act and Reintegration Policy
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA (24 February 2025) – South African employers are grappling with significant new responsibilities introduced by the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) and the draft Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and Return to Work Regulations. Published on 15 June 2023, these regulations are poised ...more
