S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No9 September 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- Retail attitudes to footwear leather: A mixed picture.
06 An Eclectic View
- Anaerobic leather: There’s more to this than finding ancient Roman sandals in waterlogged soil, writes correspondent H. Procter.
09 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- Leather in an evolving automotive market: Yes, there are challenges, but leather remains a popular choice, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor.
11 Decoding Tanning Science
- Enzymatic removal of proteoglycans in hides promotes opening-up of collagen fibre bundles: Review by Dr Clive Jackson-Moss of a paper in JALCA.
14 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
15 Notice Board
- IULTCS Young Leather Scientist Grant Programme 2025 announced.
- Obituary: Roger Rowswell – a gentle, decent man who contributed to a better environment professionally and personally.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (08), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (OFC), Mimosa (03), Rolfes Leather Division (05), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (07), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (04), Sustainable Leather Foundation (10).
- ANAEROBIC LEATHER
Anaerobic leather - most people have heard of the leather find that was a shoe or a bag from antiquity, stored in a preservation condition that has allowed the relic to last several hundred years without being broken down. Is this the model of how, as a material, leather can be stored in a fossilised form taking carbon out of the atmosphe ...moreLeather in an evolving automotive market…
Much has been written about the changes that our industry is dealing with, as it undergoes significant transformation to adapt to an evolving market shaped by consumer demand, technological innovation, environmental concerns, and regulation. ...moreA gentle, decent man who contributed to a better environment professionally and personally
Obituary: Roger Alec Rowswell – Somerset West Municipality, Cape Town Municipality, Leather Industries Research Institute, Tannery Environmental Consultancy Services (12/01/1948 – 20/08/2024) ...moreEnzymatic removal of proteoglycans in hides promotes opening-up of collagen fibre bundles
IntroductionWhen a hide loses moisture, the proteoglycans present in the hide stick the collagen fibres together. This negatively impacts the penetration of water and other chemicals into the hides during processing, and also the opening-up of the collagen fibres and hence the softness of the leather. It is therefore ideal to remove prote ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humour" HilariousThe industrial promotion section of the Rwandan Ministry of Trade and Industry has announced that the country intends to develop a tannery park in the Bugesera special economic zone near the border with Burundi. When one talks about a tannery park, one imagines a minimum of a dozen tanneries, and another dozen shoe and lea ...moreRetail attitudes to leather: A mixed pictureCarletonville, Gauteng, SA – Mohammed Laher, sole proprietor of 6-store mini-chain Textile Wholesalers, said leather remained a priority for his customers.He said formal footwear – which is all leather – was “a much smaller category than before”, but that “the better end of casual footwear is predominan ...moreIULTCS Young Leather Scientist Grant Programme 2025 announcedThe IULTCS Young Scientist Grant Programme for 2025 is underway. The details follow and further information can be found on the IULTCS website https://iultcs.org/ or by contacting the IUR chair, Dr Volker Rabe (Volker.rabe@tfl.com).Background:The IULTCS is committed to co-operation between the individual member societies and to providing ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- A 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 ...morePalm moves into sports sponsorship as terraPOD signs landmark contract with KZN women’s rugby
Durban, KZN, SA — Palm Footwear Manufacturers’ terraPOD safety footwear brand has upped its marketing campaign after signing a renewable, 1-year sponsorship agreement with the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union (KZNRU) to support the growth and development of women's amateur rugby across the province.Believed to be the first partnershi ...moreDuty evasion, false country of origin and labelling main targets: NCC and SARS ‘sign MoU to strengthen compliance’Media statement issued jointly by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and SA Revenue Service (SARS)Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (06 May 2026) – The National Consumer Commission (NCC) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance consumer protection against the proliferation of ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- David Buirski retires (but we’re sure to hear more from him)
David Buirski, the former South African who edited World Leather from 1993 to 2005, and who continued his involvement with the publication and its offshoots until recently, has finally retired because “having turned 90 last December, I guess it was the sensible thing to do. Thirty-three years could be considered a long time.&rd ...moreKenya announces $39 million investment to strengthen livestock productionKenya plans to launch a 5 billion-shilling ($38.6 million) investment program to modernize its livestock sector and strengthen one of the country's most important rural industries.President William Ruto announced the initiative on June 1 during a visit to Wajir County in northern Kenya.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the program ...more‘ESG is a global requirement’
Deborah Taylor, Sustainable Leather FoundationShe spoke about the SLF’s role in supporting harmonisation and minimising duplication of effort across the leather value chain, its education and training, development of robust and credible standards, and advocacy of the leather industry.She quoted the first definition of sustainability ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- JCB Footwear steps into a new eraJCB Footwear has announced the relaunch of its product range in South Africa, marking a new chapter for the brand in partnership with newly appointed distributor, Kaliber Safety Footwear, which is no stranger to the industry with its own successful range of safety and security footwear products.The relaunch introduces an entirel ...moreThe concepts behind safety: Why bother with PPE on the ‘Road to Zero Harm’?
For over a decade, the ILO and other such bodies have been pushing this whole notion of "Zero Harm", "Road to Zero" and other such catchy titles, all pushing the idea most probably backed by one-sided research that "Zero Harm" is the only way and can be achieved if you work hard enough.My problem with this id ...moreProactive or reactive? The importance of choosing the correct hand protection
Our aim is to deliver value to the user experience by ensuring optimal protection, compliance, and operational confidence in every task performed.Hand protection has evolved significantly in response to the critical need to reduce workplace injuries and strengthen safety performance across diverse industries.Modern advancements in materia ...more
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