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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 ...more
  • An 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 ...more
  • Decoding 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 ...more
  • Hides & 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 ...more
  • Brands: Sam Setter's 'Pills' - For readers who need some wry medicinal humour
    When 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 ...more
  • Exotics: Reptilian leather Relief as California doesn’t appeal judgement overturning its crocodilian leather trade ban
    Legal 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 ...more
  • Sheepskins: Concentrating on local market – for now
    Bronkhorstspruit, 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 ...more
  • Cancellation of virtual portal in 2023 IULTCS Congress
    We 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 ...more
  • SA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for July 2023
    Pretoria, 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 ...more

Footwear 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 ...more
  • Julz Shoes launches men’s range
    Sneaker and moccasin style samples from the men’s range.Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – Women’s leather comfort/lifestyle brand Julz Shoes has launched a men’s collection under the brand Will’s Shoes.Both ranges are “locally designed, made offshore”, GM Hayley Barker said.“Julz has built a loy ...more
  • How 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
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Leather Industry Articles

  • Sam Setter's 'Pills': Congratulations!
    Congratulations and compliments to UNIC and COTANCE for the huge job they have done together with LCHA, AHSLEA, Beef & Lamb New Zealand, TDSD, CICB, ALLPI, ICT, ICHSLTA, ICEC and SLF as well as many others by convincing the EU to scrap bovine hides from the EUDR directive. A long and tiring process which has cost them lots of time and ...more
  • MONEY 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
  • SARLEN – the journey so far
    SARLEN was guided by a model policy framework for the leather value chain, adopted by all member states in 2023. It was supported by Deutsche Zusammenarbeit (German Cooperation), implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), with the SADC Secretariat as the principal sponsor.The building blocks are ass ...more
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PPE Industry Articles

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