S&V African Leather Magazine Vol17 No7 July 2023
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- Automotive: Stitched leather seat exports were up in most markets last year, according to the 2023 edition of NAAMSA executive manager Dr Norman Lamprecht’s Automotive Export Manual.
- Game skins: UK trophy ban still being debated, and other updates by Pieter Swart of SA Taxidermy and Tannery Association (SATTA).
- SLTC: Everything is on hold, says treasurer Warren Phipps.
10 An Eclectic View
- Second generation Cr-free. Second generation chrome-free has arrived, and already we know what a key component of the third generation will be, writes H. Procter.
12 Decoding Tanning Science
- Dialdehyde starch, a sustainable, environment-friendly tanning chemical. A summary by Dr Clive Jackson-Moss of the ISTT of a JSLTC paper.
14 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
15 Sustainability
- Tanzanian visit to be followed by visits to other African countries: Report from Sustainable Leather Foundation MD Deborah Taylor.
17 Notice Board
- Obituary: Peter Howard, formerly with King Tanning, Pelts Products and other businesses and ventures.
18 Trade Statistics
- SA hides, skins and leather trade statistics for May 2023, issued by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (03), Evolution Engineering (01), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (05), Mimosa (07), Rolfes Leather Division (OFC), Rolfes Leather Division recruitment ad (02), S&V Calendar (11), S&V Directory (18), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (10), Stahl (09), Sustainable Leather Foundation (06).
The Next Issue
- The August issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 04 August. The deadline for contributions is 31 July.
- Second generation Cr-free
Second generation chrome-free has just arrived, and already we know what a key component of the third generation will be. ...moreTanzanian visit to be followed by visits to other African countries
This month saw SLF launch a new campaign “Are You Ready” to help the leather industry prepare for the incoming regulations and directives that will have a significant impact on our sector.It is crucial that all stakeholders understand what the new legislation means, how it will affect their business and how they can prepare no ...moreSustainable Leather Foundation: Work Begins in the SADC…
In June, as part of the recently awarded contract to support sustainability improvement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) under the SIPS Project, SLF travelled to Tanzania to participate in two workshops on the 6th June and the 8th June. The first workshop, held in the capital, Dodoma, was attended by 45 representative ...moreA very talented man who tried his hand at many things, some successfully, some not, but he did live a full life
Obituary: Peter Howard – King Tanning, Pelts Products, and others (01/06/1947-26/07/2022) ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Pitti Uomo in FlorenceOn 13-16 June the fashion industry celebrated Pitti Uomo in Florence. The event was very well attended and the newspapers, as well as the city hall of Florence, heralded the attendance of so-called VIPs as a huge success. Indeed, people like Leonardo Di Caprio, Dua Lipa, George Clooney were among the visitors. They, like their peers, very ...moreStitched leather seat exports were up in most markets last yearPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Automotive Business Council (NAAMSA) executive manager Dr Norman Lamprecht’s annual Automotive Export Manual – the 2023 edition is the 17th – is a comprehensive picture, not just of the SA motor industry’s exports, but of its structure, health, plans and predictions.The leather compone ...moreUK trophy ban still being debated1. Feedback on the Controversial UK TROPHY BAN.Despite much publicity, and input from various African Governments, NGOs and scientists, the House of Commons approved the Trophy Ban bill, but it still needed the approval from the House of Lords. Two amendments were added before passing the Commons: (1) limits the ban to CITES listed ...moreSLTC: On HoldThe Southern African Section of the Society of Leather Technicians & Chemists is currently not operating, treasurer Warren Phipps has confirmed. “We approached the mother body of SLTC to help pay someone locally to help bring in the membership fees for them (SLTC - British section), which they declined, and the SA section could ...moreDialdehyde starch, a sustainable, environment-friendly tanning chemicalThis is part of a series contributed by the International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) in Grahamstown, E. Cape, SA, summarising complicated research papers into short articles more readily comprehensible to a wider audience. ...moreSA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for May 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (30 June 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (59 757 351)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.97Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm 13 274 098Ratio (exports/imports) 1.03ExportsMonth % of total 0.22Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 1 609 417 807 Cumulative 2023 (R ...moreFootwear 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 ...moreAn industry with distinctive material riches, unable to sufficiently convert them into finished goods in a world class way“The project’s purpose,” said Courtney Grant, “is to be a robust, evidence-based strategy to address the leather and general goods sector’s challenges and unlock its growth potential.”The main headings of her presentation were:Creating the groundwork for a National Leather and General Goods Strategy:Fro ...moreVermont sale completedJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – After 39 years, former owner Mandy Owen has sold her shares in Vermont Leathercraft Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd to Creek Lab (Pty) Ltd, and officially handed over the business to Prashant Bhaga.In a message on LinkedIn, she wrote: “I would like to thank my husband, Graham, for his invaluable contributio ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- LEATHER’S ELEMENTARY UNIT
Geoff Attenburrow’s PhD student David M. Wright worked on the behaviour of leather under strain (Attenburrow, 1993; Wright, 1996). They were the first to describe that leather had a “co-operating unit”, a set of structures within leather that helped the leather to resist breaking and to resist deformation at low strain.T ...moreImproving the strength and softness of crust leather through pressure treatment
IntroductionRetanning and fatliquoring have a major impact on the characteristics of leather, whereas dyeing and the finishing concentrate on the appearance of the leather. Various retanning agents and fatliquoring agents have been developed to improve the softness and mechanical strength of leather, parameters that are important to the b ...moreMONEY FROM WASTE
Europe has borne the difficulties and the costs of converting to a bioeconomy – the lessons are there, free, for African businesses to learn and profit from. ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Understanding local and international PPE standards: Clarity in a complex landscape
Appearances and claims to the contrary, South Africa’s PPE industry “is largely unregulated, and a high percentage of PPE on the market is not compliant with official standards”, uvex Safety SA MD Christo Nel said, “and that’s a problem at many levels, and for the entire value chain”.He said the fundame ...moreNew OHS regulations coming into force later this year mean PPE needs to be reviewed, too
In March 2025, the Physical Agents Regulations (and their guidelines) and the Noise Exposure Regulations (and their guidelines) of the OHSAct were published, with an 18-month time-period promulgation date to September 2026, allowing employers time to upgrade their Health & Safety requirements to comply with the new published regulatio ...moreProactive or reactive? The importance of choosing the correct hand protection
Our aim is to deliver value to the user experience by ensuring optimal protection, compliance, and operational confidence in every task performed.Hand protection has evolved significantly in response to the critical need to reduce workplace injuries and strengthen safety performance across diverse industries.Modern advancements in materia ...more
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