S&V African Leather Magazine Vol17 No9 September 2023
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- Hides & Skins: There are challenges everywhere, writes Cape Product Company director Greg Feinberg.
- Exotics – ostrich leather: Strong demand continues, writes Cape Karoo International MD Francois de Wet.
- Exotics – reptilian leather: Relief as California doesn’t appeal judgement overturning its crocodilian leather trade ban, say American Tanning & Leather director Christy Plott and Le Croc MD Stefan van As.
- Sheepskins: Concentrating on the local market – for now, writes African Merino director Simo Simov.
08 An Eclectic View
- Composting standards a review by H. Procter.
14 Decoding Tanning Science
- Short-term preservation of hides using wheat bran: Review of a paper by Dr Clive Jackson-Moss.
16 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
17 Sustainable Leather Foundation
- Sustainable Leather Foundation MD Deborah Taylor writes about audits and workshops in Namibia and Tanzania.
18 Fairs & Events
- IULTCS Congress: Virtual portal cancelled, writes IUL chairman Julian Osgood.
18 Trade Statistics
- SA hides, skins and leather trade statistics for July 2023, issued by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (03), Evolution Engineering (01), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (03), Mimosa (05), Rolfes Leather Division (07), S&V Calendar (06), S&V Directory (09), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (15), Stahl (OFC), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02), TFL (10, 11, 12, 13).
The Next Issue
- The August issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 06 October. The deadline for contributions is 29 September.
- Exotics: Ostrich leather - Strong demand continues
Mossel Bay, W. Cape, SA – Overall, we are very satisfied with the situation where ostrich leather is today. Overall demand globally is fairly strong, and at fair prices.There is quite a strong demand, especially from fashion houses in Europe and specifically the top end fashion houses. This demand didn’t go down during good co ...moreAn Eclectic View: Composting standards
BS EN 14995 and BS EN 13432 are the specifications in the UK/EU for compostability of plastics and packaging, respectively. Several test houses have published modifications to them to make them more accurate for a wider range of materials.Composting is the controlled aerobic breakdown of material. Materials capable of disintegration are p ...moreDecoding Tanning Science: Short – term preservation of hides using wheat bran
IntroductionIn order to prevent hides from rotting between the time the animal is slaughtered and the time the hide is processed in the tannery, they need to undergo some form of preservation. The most commonly used form of preservation is salting, which dehydrates the hide and thus prevents bacterial growth. It is estimated that at least ...moreHides & Skins: There are challenges everywhere
Hides: markets remain extremely challenging. Whilst better quality hides can be moved, pricing is a concern, specifically on the low end with South American material moving at prices well below cost.Merinos: The garment market is under severe pressure due to the situation in Russia/Ukraine (the traditional home for this material); whilst ...moreBrands: Sam Setter's 'Pills' - For readers who need some wry medicinal humourWhen you read the ‘big’ leather magazines and the position of the major leather industry auditing company, they all heavily focus on ‘the brands’, who by now have become the centre of their interest as if they are the most precious and important industrial entities in the world. In reality these brands are moneymak ...moreExotics: Reptilian leather Relief as California doesn’t appeal judgement overturning its crocodilian leather trade banLegal battles can be very drawn-out affairs, so the reptile exotic leather lobby globally is very relieved that a landmark victory in March this year in California, in a case between the states of Louisiana and California, “is all wrapped up and done, and there are NO APPEALS IN COURT! 🎉”, wrote Christy Plott, director of A ...moreSheepskins: Concentrating on local market – for nowBronkhorstspruit, Mpumalanga, SA – African Merino is affected by the problem in Ukraine, of course, as is every other business and person on the planet.We have not exported skins for many years and have shrunk to the size of a small business with annual production of less than 15 000 skins and staff less than 10 people.We lost our e ...moreCancellation of virtual portal in 2023 IULTCS CongressWe have received the following communication from the organizers of the forthcoming IULTCS Congress in Chengdu.The Organizing Committee of the 37th International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) Congress is announcing, with sincere consideration, the cancellation of the virtual portal of the IULTCS Congress i ...moreSA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for July 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (31 August 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (131 497 293)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.95Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (30 425 744)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.92ExportsMonth % of total 0.20Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 2 303 0 ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Trading conditions - September 2025: I quit – a retailer’s response to Jo’burg’s declineJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – I’ve actually closed my store down.I was situated in Mooi Street, Johannesburg, but the city has degenerated so badly that customers were scared to come to buy high value goods as they could be robbed or stabbed. It’s just not worth it to risk my life in the slum that used to be Johannesburg.& ...moreCommitted to supporting these sectorsThe eThekwini Footwear Leather Cluster (EFLC) is aimed to empower local manufacturers, and we’ve managed to implement programmes as per our business plan (i.e. export development, market access, world class manufacturing, product design & development and sustainability).EFLC also launched the Retail New Market Project to acceler ...moreIn a difficult global economy, we’ve helped improve the industry’s export readinessSAFLEC 23rd AGM, 06 August 2025, Umhlanga, KZN: Extracts from the reports ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Fungicide launch plannedPort Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – We are still fortunate to have a solid business in difficult times. But we are positive. Always on the lookout for new opportunities.We do actually have a new fungicide that we are launching. Locally manufactured with international backing, very modern technology. More in the next issue. ...morePangea: ‘Maintaining status quo in quiet market’Nigel, Gauteng, SA – The global market for automotive leather remains subdued, Pangea SA finance & administration director Adrian Visser said this month, and in South Africa’s case, that is further affected by concerns about US tariffs “which affect us indirectly through our customers”.“It’s a flat ...moreHunting industry contributes R44 billion to SA economy, study says, and taxidermists contribute R500m-R750m of that
Under the headline “South Africa’s secret R44 billion weapon”, Daily Investor on 16 July publicised a study which claims that South Africa’s hunting tourism sector contributes over R44 billion and 95 000 jobs to the country.It quoted North-West University (NWU) Professors Peet van der Merwe and Andrea Saayman ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Workplace safety is a universal responsibility, not just in high-risk industriesMany people think that Operational Risk Management (ORM) is only relevant to industries with obvious hazards, like mining and construction. However, South Africa's workplace safety law – the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the OHS Act), mandates all employers to keep their workplaces safe, no matter what kind of business they ru ...moreNot an afterthought – integrating healthcare technology at the very beginning
Today’s modern healthcare facilities have, respectfully, moved beyond bricks, mortar and medical equipment to now include infrastructure that embeds intelligence and resilience, providing the foundation for safer, smarter and patient-centric healthcare environment.In fact, the medical industry is making truly remarkable gains when i ...moreSELECTING JOB TASK PPEThe issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.To ...more
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