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
- An 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 ...moreA perspective: Perhaps it was an eye-opener for industry players to hear each otherLooking back over the workshop, BMA consultant Justin Snelling wrote: “In terms of our reflections of the workshop, we covered a lot of territory. Perhaps though what was most encouraging was the breadth of participation from different segments of the sector and their willingness, or even excitement, to contribute. We don’t ta ...moreBova Socks: The PPE layer that works inside the boot
In demanding work environments, safety footwear plays a critical role in helping workers manage workplace risks. However, the sock worn inside the boot also influences comfort, hygiene, fit and overall performance throughout the shift. This makes Bova’s sock range an essential part of a complete PPE solution.Bova high-performance so ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Sam Setter's 'Pills': You have to be very clever to understand this document, but hopefully it will do some goodIn June, UNIDO launched an impressive document called “Guideline”. It is a very detailed, environment oriented, technical and scientific document where the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCP) play a prominent role. The document, peer reviewed, has been developed for UNIDO with the main contributor ...moreSADC Leather Forum unites 16 member states to strengthen the regional leather industry
The Southern African Development Community’s Regional Leather Forum met in Durban, South Africa, in August. Nerisha Jairaj and Jacob Nyathi explain different aspects. ...moreBeyond the data trap: Why better decisions matter more than just more data
On 1st July 2026 I presented at the FILK Leather Days conference and asked the delegates to consider “Sustainability through a new lens: resetting how we view impacts in the leather value chain”. This month’s article therefore explores this idea a little more with a focus on how we view data and whether it can blind us t ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- CONSIDERING A PPE MATRIX
What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) do we need to have on site to reduce and manage the workplace and environmental exposure risks to our employees?Safety and mining legislation place the responsibility on employers to ensure that they provide and maintain working environments that are safe and without risk to the health on employees ...moreBiodegradable disposable gloves ‘a growing trend’ in PPE
The poster is available to download in English in both PNG and PDF formats hereCompostable and biodegradable PPE are said to be rapidly growing trends internationally, lead by brands like Showa and HaPPE Earth.The nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH in Hürth, Germany, has published an updated versio ...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 ...more
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