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
- Obituary: Joe McGinley, Conshu (14/04/1936-20/05/2026) He ran an empire, but kept a human touch
Somerset West, W. Cape, SA – Joseph Pascal McGinley, the former Conshu director who died in May, a month after his 90th birthday, was a larger-than-life character who was renowned during his career in SA for his kindness, and who lived life to the full.Born in Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland, to Joseph and Madeline McGinley, both doct ...moreTshepo opens new store at Mall of Africa
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (02 June 2026) — South African fashion brand Tshepo has opened its second store at Mall of Africa.Tshepo, founded by Tshepo Mohlala in Victoria Yards 10 years ago, specialises in locally made denim jeans.“Victoria Yards remains central to Tshepo's identity, serving as the bran ...moreHow FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my life
An 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
- World first - compost: Possible, desirable, not necessarily simple
The world of compostable leather is not as historically accurate as the industry would like it to be. The definition of leather is: “hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to be imputrescible (rot-proof). Hair or wool may or may not have been removed, and the material can include split layers or ...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. ...moreOrganic 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 ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- More precise fire extinguishing from the air using simulation and sensor data
Wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense worldwide. Fires often become infernos due to heat, drought and wind, especially in the summer. The problem is compounded by the climate crisis. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM and the startup CAURUS Technologies GmbH are responding to this growi ...moreRealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurement
RealPPE 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. ...moreIndoor air quality monitoring: protecting people, processes, and productivity in South Africa
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is becoming an increasingly important topic across South Africa as industries place greater focus on occupational safety, environmental controls, and operational reliability. While air quality concerns were once mainly associated with mining, heavy industry, or healthcare environments, businesses across multiple s ...more
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