S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No5 May 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
03 Upfront
- Why leather factories in Jinja have closed: Report from Ugandan publication The Monitor shows how government interference in forcing beneficiation is killing Uganda’s leather industry.
- Leatherite: More competition for a smaller pie.
- Footwear: School shoes, niche areas okay, fashion struggling.
- Kenyan Government announces creation of jobs in the leather industry.
03 Training
- The debate – and heat – over he closure of ICL needs to end, and there are ways forward: A 3-way conversation between Dr Christine Anscombe, Dr Clive Jackson-Moss and Karl Flowers.
03 An Eclectic View
- Carbon Neutral: Correspondent H. Procter reports on changes to stop the corruption caused by carbon off-setting.
08 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- Africa continues to call, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor, following a busy programme of auditing tanneries in Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with preliminary visits to others.
- ALLPI joins the SLF.
- Deborah Taylor elected as new vice-president of the SLTC.
13 Technology
- The Predator – a new concept in splitting. Alpe Spak explains the labour saving, safety and improved quality benefits of its new system.
17 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
18 Notice Board
- Obituary: Ken Moakes, bon vivant, raconteur and fine leather technician.
- Recognition for long-serving SLTC secretary Pat Potter.
Advertisers in this Issue
All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) (07), Authenticae (05), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (09), Mimosa (12), Rolfes Leather Division (16), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (04), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (19), Stahl (OFC), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02).
The Next Issue
- The April issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 14 June. The deadline for contributions is 10 June.
- Government announces creation of jobs in leather industry
Narok Souh, Kenya (07 April 2024) – The government has announced creation of direct and indirect job opportunities in the leather industry in Narok County in the south rift.Making the disclosure at Ewaso Ngiro tannery in Narok South sub county, Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Devel ...moreWhy leather factories in Jinja have closed
Jinja, Uganda (Monday 06 May 2024) – Four leather factories in Jinja City have closed, leaving hundreds of former workers unemployed.The factories are SWT Leather Industries located on Mutibwa Road, Mehaka Leather Exim Smc Limited, Uganda Leather and Tannery Industries, Jinja, and Loyal Small-Scale Industries located on Nile Crescen ...moreThe debate – and heat – over the closure of ICLT needs to end, and there are ways forward
In a fascinating 3-way Teams discussion (4, but I was just an observer) last month between SATRA’s Dr Christine Anscombe, the ISTT’s Dr Clive Jackson-Moss and Authenticae’s Karl Flowers, the likely future of training in the tanning industry in Europe, and in countries which traditionally sent students to Europe, took som ...moreCARBON NEUTRAL
In 2015, the international community signed a climate treaty called the Paris Climate Accords. 195 countries, including South Africa, signed the accord pledging to do everything in their governments’ powers to halt the increase in temperatures, and to in principle keep the total increase in average temperatures to less than 2ºC ...moreAfrica continues to call…
Strengthening Sustainability: The conclusion of the year-long project in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, under the Joint Action “Support towards Industrialization and the Productive Sectors” (SIPS). ...moreALLPI Joins Sustainable Leather Foundation
SLF is delighted to confirm that Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute has become a member which further enhances the commitment to supporting the African nations with sustainable development. ...moreDeborah Taylor elected as new Vice-President of the Society of Leather Technologists & Chemists (SLTC)
On Saturday 27th April, during the SLTC Annual Conference and AGM, SLF’s Managing Director, Deborah Taylor, was officially elected as the incoming Vice-President of SLTC. ...moreThe Predator: A new concept in splitting
Arzignano, Vicenza, Italy – Alpe Spak’s new through-feed splitting machine system, the Predator, has been designed to reduce the number of specialised operators, improve worker safety, and improve the quality of the leather.It operates with a patented concept to split in green, lime and now also wet blue.It was developed from ...moreObituary: Ken Moakes – Fredisco, TFL, Buckman, C.F. Stead, Thomas Ware (28/12/1944-22/04/2024): Bon vivant, raconteur, and fine leather technician
Northampton, UK – Ken Moakes died in April, after a short time in hospital, aged 79, of cardiac and renal failure.To me, starting out with African Leather magazine, He was both advisor and friend. He and the late Barry Nash (and unnamed others) would send me a monthly gossip column on the leather trade – never malicious, but g ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humour"The world has become a crazy place. We are not thinking anymore autonomously but are influenced against our better knowledge about matters that are clear lies but we are induced to accept them as the truth. I looked it up and it’s called ‘double thinking’. People are told to live a sustainable bio-based life and ar ...moreLeatherite: More competition for a smaller piePretoria, Gauteng, SA – The leather crafting market has picked up, starting last October, but is still nowhere near as buoyant as before or immediately after covid, said Kevin Thompson, director of leather, trims and tools supplier Leatherite International.“Most of last year was a bit tough,” he said. “You can see ...moreFootwear: School shoes, niche areas okay, fashion strugglingCape Town, W. Cape, SA – On the fashion side local manufacturers in general are finding business quite tough. There are manufacturers operating in “niche” areas of the market that are doing quite well.On a more positive note, our school shoe manufacturers seem to be doing okay. On the industrial side we do not really ope ...moreLong overdue pat on the back for PatNorthampton, UK – I have just finished my time as a volunteer at the museum where Ken was a volunteer. Once again it has all been packed away only for some bits to occasionally be on show at the town museum and other places who are more interested than Northampton - makes me so cross!!I seem to keep busy. I am scanning SLTC back jou ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- National 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 ...moreCity of Cape Town backs AllFashion Sourcing as it seeks to grow CTFL sector
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – AllFashion Sourcing Cape Town 2026 returns to Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC 2) from 14–16 July 2026, marking a significant milestone as the City of Cape Town joins as a key partner in advancing Africa’s fashion, textile and apparel sector.This partnership signals a shared visio ...moreThe Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas
Chinese sportswear brand Anta counts Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu among its brand ambassadorsChina's economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.Ding Shizhong had them made in a relative's factory and now he was going to sell them. The mo ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- African leather businesses holding LWG and SLF ratingsAs African leather manufacturers strive to grow their exports, the number which have qualified for ratings by the Leather Working Group (LWG) and the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) is growing.By country, LWG lists the following:Algeria: Sarl Tannerie Ain FakrounBurkina Faso: Mona Industry SARL.Egypt: El Montaza Tannery, Piel Color C ...moreFMD: Government upbeat, little comment from industryPretoria, Gauteng, SA – The Department of Agriculture’s “strategic objective” is to vaccinate 80% of South Africa’s national cattle herd – which is around 14 million animals – against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by December this year, according to a media statement on 12 May.“The vaccinatio ...moreMobilising Africa’s natural livestock resource to reinvigorate the regional leather value chain
Africa possesses one of the world’s largest livestock populations, yet the continent captures only a fraction of the value generated from leather and leather-based products. From cattle in the East and South Africa, to goats and sheep across North Africa, the continent’s abundant livestock resource represents not only a source ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- RealPPE 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. ...moreUnderstanding local and international PPE standards: Clarity in a complex landscape
Appearances and claims to the contrary, South Africa’s PPE industry “is largely unregulated, and a high percentage of PPE on the market is not compliant with official standards”, uvex Safety SA MD Christo Nel said, “and that’s a problem at many levels, and for the entire value chain”.He said the fundame ...morePremier 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 ...more
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