S&V African Leather Magazine Vol17 No8 August 2023
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- Gloving: Pittards under administration and looking for buyer – UK-based business includes Ethiopian tannery and leather goods manufacturing plant.
- Footwear & Leather Goods: The orders have come in; payments are still something of a problem, writes Fusion Leather World’s Denzil Spolander.
- Footwear & Leather Goods: Exchange rate has made imports very difficult, writes Alan D. Jackson’s Morgan Naidoo.
- Ostrich: Leather and feathers performing well, but raw meat export ban still a dark cloud, says SAOBC’s Piet Kleyn.
- SLTC UK: The parent body responds to a report by the SA Section and encourages local members to engage with it.
08 An Eclectic View
- Meat 2023 update – Regenerative farming practices are an exciting development for the future, writes H. Procter.
15 Sustainable Leather Foundation
- Budget now for improvement – legislation is coming, writes Sustainable Leather Foundation MD Deborah Taylor.
16 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
17 Fairs & Events
- IULTCS Congress: Travel advice for anyone attending, by IUL chairman Julian Osgood.
- IULTCS Congress: Professor Yujia Xu named as Heidemann lecture presenter, by IUL chairman Julian Osgood.
18 Trade Statistics
- SA hides, skins and leather trade statistics for June 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 (09), S&V Calendar (10), S&V Directory (18), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (15), Stahl (OFC), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02), TFL (11, 12, 13, 14).
The Next Issue
- The August issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 08 September. The deadline for contributions is 01 September.
- Gloving: Pittards under administration, seeks buyer
Main tannery, leather goods factory in EthiopiaYeovil, Somerset, UK – Vertically integrated leather and leather goods manufacturer Pittards, which has operations in the UK and Ethiopia, has “filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators” according to a report on the BBC on 14 August.It said Pittards was seeking a ...moreLeather and feathers performing well, but raw meat export ban still a dark cloud
Oudtshoorn, W. Cape, SA – The link between farm and tannery seems much closer in SA’s ostrich industry than it does with bovine leather, so SA Ostrich Business Chamber (SAOBC) CEO Piet Kleyn was speaking from the heart when he said this month that “the best news we have is that we’ve had some wonderful rain in the ...moreAn Eclectic View: Meat – 2023 update
Regenerative farming practices are an exciting development for the future. Global food was a $1.98 trillion business in the last year, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). Humans spend a lot of money on it and will continue to do so for obvious reasons. ...moreHeidemann lecture presenter named
The XXXVII IULTCS Congress Organizing Committee is extremely pleased to announce that Professor Yujia Xu will be the Heidemann Lecture Presenter at the XXXVII IULTCS Congress.The Heidemann Lecture is a keynote presentation that is held in memory of Professor Dr. Eckhardt Heidemann (1925-1999). He made significant practical contributions t ...moreSustainability: Sam Setter's 'Pills' - For readers who need some wry medicinal humourLet me stick to the subject of sustainability, which by now is the magic word in every industry. So, everything that you produce must be ‘sustainable’, whatever that means, otherwise the big brands and distribution chains, famous shops, etc., will not buy your products anymore. Since sustainability is interpreted as an environ ...moreFusion: The orders have come in; payments are still something of a problemCape Town, W. Cape, SA – Overall we’re not unhappy. June and July were quiet, but the orders have since come in. We’re not at capacity, but we will be working a 6-day week until the end of the year.The school shoe market is good, fashion is more variable, but quite good.There is still the age-old problem of payments &nda ...moreAlan D. Jackson: Exchange rate has made imports very difficultDurban, KZN, SA – It’s a difficult position to be in selling imported leathers now as the landed prices from overseas are really expensive compared to local prices. The exchange rate is not helping at all.Clients are also struggling in getting orders from retailers who are always looking for cheaper prices.Basically, it's a st ...moreSociety of Leather Technologists and Chemists (SLTC): Update from parent bodyIn response to the report in the July issue on the SA Section of the SLTC, the parent body encourages southern African members to continue engaging with the society, and outlines changes which will make it easier to do so. ...moreSustainable Leather Foundation: Budget now for improvement – legislation is comingAs most of mainland Europe begin their summer break, it is usually around this time of year that we can take stock, catch up on those administrative tasks and plan for the rest of the year. Well, perhaps it is a sign of our fast-changing industry landscape, that means this year we are still moving at full speed just to stay on top of the ...moreTravel advice for anyone attending IULTCS CongressThe XXXVII IULTCS Congress in Chengdu, China, from 17 to 20 October 2023 (https://iultcs.org/events/future/) is fast approaching, and the committee members are aware than many people will be considering if they will be attending this important event. There is no doubt that the event will be very rewarding to anyone who can participate at ...moreSA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for June 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (31 July 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (101 582 416)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.95Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (41 799 770)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.89ExportsMonth % of total 0.21Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 1 964&nbs ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Wayne's Phambili range: Practical boots from non-safety to full protection
Roodepoort, Gauteng, SA – Wayne's Phambili range combines everyday comfort, dependable durability and clearly defined levels of protection in a practical range of PVC work boots. Developed for demanding working environments, the 3-boot lineup makes it easy to choose the protection best suited to the job while delivering the comfort ...moreNew generation nonwoven components lead the way towards biodegradable shoes
Compostable and biodegradable footwear is becoming a reality.The nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH in Hürth, Germany, has published an updated version of its poster, 'Biodegradable Polymers in Various Environments', and project manager Kristijan Mršić told Shoes & Views that several of ...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
- Organic cotton at the crossroads: Ideology, evidence, and the road ahead
Washington, DC, U.S.A. (23 June 2026) — Organic cotton occupies one of the most contentious spaces in global agriculture. While praised by brands and consumers for its environmental ideals, it also faces persistent questions about yield stability, certification integrity, and scalability. The current edition of The ICAC Recorde ...moreWhen communication moves faster than truth: Why credible, evidence-based information matters more than ever.We have never had more information at our fingertips. We have also never had to work quite so hard to determine which information we should trust. Communication today moves at extraordinary speed. Social media platforms, digital news, corporate communications, industry reports and, increasingly, artificial intelligence allow information t ...moreThe leather value chain offers opportunities for all SADC countriesThe Southern African Regional Leather Network (SARLEN) and the SADC Leather Forum present a great opportunity for the development of the leather value chains (LVCs) in all or most SADC states, whose LVCs are at different stages of development.in Zimbabwe we already have a well-structured LVC coordinated by an apex body, the Zimbabwe Leath ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Premier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforce
In 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 ...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 ...moreRealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurementRealPPE Marketplace is a 100% black women-owned B2B PPE marketplace built for South African industry. Founded after years of witnessing safety officers and procurement teams lose time to fragmented suppliers, inconsistent pricing, and missing documentation, RealPPE was created to bring structure and reliability to industrial PPE sourcing. ...more
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