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
- Shlobo Designs: Foreign consumers appreciate handwork and the story behind the brand
Durban, KZN, SA – I’m a native of Umlazi’s K section, but I’ve called Seaview home since 1994.My life has been a tapestry of experiences, woven with threads of resilience, creativity, and unwavering determination. My journey took an unexpected turn when I was retrenched while working for the bank with a wealth expe ...moreManufacturer-buyer event: Among the manufacturer comments
The 2-day Retail Buyer Engagement & Manufacturer Onboarding Programme on 01 and 02 July was part of an effort to kickstart the R-CTFL Masterplan – which, from a footwear perspective at least, has appeared stalled.It was sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and implemented through the R-CTFL Masterplan Footwea ...morePlastics SA ‘celebrates 30 years of inspiring South Africans to take action against litter’ – but so much more is needed
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Plastics SA, the umbrella body which represents all sectors of the SA plastics industry, will hold its 30th annual ‘Clean-Up and Recycle Week’ from 14-20 September.In a release, Plastics SA said the annual event “has grown into one of South Africa’s largest collaborative environmen ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- SADC 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. ...moreNigeria’s Leather Industry: Not a clear picture
Nigeria is widely accepted as having a very large livestock population, but a relatively small tanning industry, much of it concentrated in Kano, producing high grade goat- and sheepskin crust which is exported for finishing elsewhere for use in garments.Recent articles cast some doubt on this, so are Nigeria’s hides and skins: M ...moreFifteen million sheep in the UK to share among shearersAccording to the UK government, its sheep population decreased over the past year by 1.7% but that still leaves a flock of over 30 million. For comparison, the domestic flock in South Africa numbers about 21 million and New Zealand has some 23 million. Australia, with more than 70 million, has a wool clip of approximately 325,000 tonnes. ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Protecting the workforce: The critical role of PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is utilised in a work-environment as part of a larger prevention plan, because on its own protection is limited and may even provide a false sense of protection.An occupational disease prevention plan must be an actionable approach that identifies workplace health hazards, evaluates exposure, and i ...moreGlobal stage for occupational safety innovations: exhibitor registration for A+A 2027 has begun
Düsseldorf, Germany – The next A+A fair will be held from 19 to 22 October 2027.Since 16 June 2026 exhibitors have been able to register for A+A 2027. Companies and organisations from around the world are invited to introduce their innovations and solutions for safety and health at work and sustainable prevention to an int ...more2nd SA PPE conference being planned for 2027 under the heading ‘Smart protection: the next era of PPE’Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Technology, artificial intelligence, connected devices and data are transforming the way we think about personal protection equipment — from how PPE is procured and selected, to how it is used, monitored and managed in the workplace.After the successful launch of the South African PPE conference hel ...more
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