S&V African Leather Magazine Vol16 No1 January 2022
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IN THIS ISSUE:
3 Sam Setter's Pills
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
03 An Eclectic View
- Making Fly Leather: Claims that it is more environmentally friendly than leather don't stand up, writes H. Procter.
07 Knowledge Transfer, Education & Training
- An introduction to the 10-part series starting in the next issue on an overview of making leather, by Richard Daniels.
09 Sustainability
- Bangladesh: The responsibility of potential. A survey by Deborah Taylor of the Sustainable Leather Foundation.
- Testing, inspection and certification company SGS joins the Sustainable Leather Foundation.
14 Sector Reports
- Automotive leather: Report predicting 'steady growth' for auto leather is wrong, say local firms.
- Fish skin leather: Fish skin leather project by Stellenbosch University proposed to aid W. Cape jobless.
14 Fairs & Conferences
- Revomec is platinum sponsor of the III Eurocongress IULTCS 2022.
15 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
16 Agriculture
- Mobile weed killer for tree nurseries: Research by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany is important because it illustrates the pressure on the entire agriculture value chain to become more sustainable.
18 Notice Board
- Obituary: 'A might oak has fallen' - A tribute to ostrich tanner Pieter Yzelle, formerly with KKI and SCOT, by Frik Kriek.
Advertisers in this Issue
ISTT (02), Italtan (01), Mimosa (06), Rolfes Leather Division (04), S&V Directory (13), Skin, Hide & Leather Council (SHALC) (08), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (12), Stahl (OFC).
In The Next Issue
- Can the leather industry do more to help the recovery of local footwear and leather goods manufacturing?
- Out on February 02.
- Bangladesh – The responsibility of potentialDeborah Taylor, MD of the Sustainable Leather Foundation, took part in a Bangladesh International Investment Summit in November. Here she writes about the summit and visits to tanneries and leather goods and footwear manufacturers. ...moreMobile weed killer for tree nurseriesFraunhofer researchers have collaborated with partners to develop a platform to remove weeds fully automatically. The mobile AMU-Bot robot system navigates using optical sensors and removes weeds mechanically without the need for chemicals. ...moreA mighty oak has fallen - Obituary: Pieter Yzelle, KKI and SCOT (29/09/1949-11/11/2021)Mossel Bay, W. Cape, SA - We pay tribute to a legend in the ostrich industry and the ‘father’ of the SCOT tannery, Pieter Yzelle, who sadly passed away on 11 November 2021. The tannery is a monument to Pieter’s technical and managerial ability as well as his tenacity to reach his goals. ...moreMaking fly-leatherThe product called E-Leather by the company that makes it (it stands for 'leather evolved' or 'engineered leather' - really?) or Fly Leather by Nike, is one of the synthetic products which incorporates leather waste. But the claim that it is therefore more environmentally acceptable than leather doesn't hold up. ...moreReport predicting 'steady growth' for auto leather is wrong, say local firmsSouth Africa's 2 automotive leather tanneries have reacted with scepticism to a report by Market Growth Reports which paints a picture of 'steady growth' for automotive leather globally over the next 5 years. ...moreFish skin leather project proposed to aid W. Cape joblessFinanced by its social impact programme, Stellenbosch University is investigating a fish skin tanning project to assist jobless people in nearby coastal communities. ...moreRevomec is platinum sponsor of the III Eurocongress IULTCS 2022Milling drum manufacturer Revomec is the platinum sponsor company of the III IULTCS EuroCongress Vicenza 2022, to be held from 18-20 September 2022. ...more
Footwear Industry Articles
- Lemaitre’s Robust Pro, ‘based on user feedback, is a gamechanger in safety footwear’Lemaitre, a trusted leader in safety footwear, is proud to announce the launch of the New Robust Pro, a reimagined safety shoe designed to deliver unparalleled comfort, durability, and all-around protection for workers across industries. With the Robust Pro we set out to create a shoe that truly works as hard as the people who wear it by ...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 ...moreHow FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my lifeAn 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- ‘ESG is a global requirement’Deborah Taylor, Sustainable Leather FoundationShe spoke about the SLF’s role in supporting harmonisation and minimising duplication of effort across the leather value chain, its education and training, development of robust and credible standards, and advocacy of the leather industry.She quoted the first definition of sustainability ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': TraceabilityThe EU Commission is very much engaged in bringing traceability of our raw materials to the forefront of tannery management. But let’s reflect on this for a moment. In the industrial world traceability is a fact, and particularly where food is involved, traceability is a standard requirement for trading. This is firstly to ensure fo ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Over and AgainThe EU announced that hides and skins could be removed from the EUDR directive's deforestation commodities. Could! Last month, like many others, I thought that the decision had been taken, but that doesn’t seem to be correct. The final decision will be taken after public feedback. Yeah, you read this right: after public feedback. As ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Premier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforceIn high-risk industrial environments, protective clothing is far more than a uniform requirement — it is a critical component of workplace safety, operational reliability and regulatory compliance. For procurement professionals, safety managers and operational leaders, selecting the right supplier means finding a partner capable of ...moreSelecting the correct protective clothing for a hazardous chemical environmentIn South Africa’s diverse industrial landscape, from mining operations in Rustenburg to petrochemical plants in Secunda and manufacturing hubs in Durban, workers are regularly exposed to hazardous chemical environments that demand more than just basic safety measures.The selection of appropriate protective clothing is not only ...moreStatistical shape modelling for population-specific respirator design: Addressing fit failure in South African populationsRespirators are widely regarded as the last line of defence against hazardous airborne exposures. Whether protecting healthcare workers from tuberculosis, laboratory personnel from infectious samples, or workers exposed to carcinogenic dusts and fumes, respirators are often relied upon when other controls cannot eliminate exposure. This r ...more
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