S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No10 October 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
03 Upfront
- Rwanda: Realism needed for a country with wonderful hides and skins.
- Hanni family prepares to celebrate 300 years of tanning.
- Fusion Leather World achieves LWG silver rating.
06 An Eclectic View
- Traceability in Africa: Unusually, Africa has led the way in leather traceability, writes correspondent H. Procter, but the devil is in the detail.
09 Other Materials
- Leather friends? Perhaps not quite ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, but ‘natural’ materials have more in common with each other than with the arch enemy, plastics, writes Karl Flowers.
11 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- Keeping leather relevant for the future involves both holding on to its heritage and incorporating modern values, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor. - Only Natural: Inaugural competition, funded by the Leather & Hide Council of America and others, challenges fast fashion.
15 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (OFC), Fusion Leather World (04), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (07), Mimosa (02), Rolfes Leather Division (05), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (08), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (44), Sustainable Leather Foundation (12).
- TRACEABILITY IN AFRICA
Africa, specifically South Africa, leads the world in the traceability of leather, especially crocodilian and ostrich leather. Created decades ago, the trace and tracking system adapted for the high value exotic skins was implemented to prevent skin theft, and to monitor the value of skins (to enable the final payment to co-operative farm ...moreLEATHER FRIENDS?
Perhaps not quite ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, but ‘natural’ materials have more in common with each other than with the arch enemy, plastics ...moreKeeping leather relevant for the future…
Last month’s SLF article focused on the future of automotive leather and the changes being felt in the sector. This month, the focus is more generally around the crossroads that leather finds itself at, trying to hold on to the heritage of being one of the oldest industries on earth, while at the same time needing to be an industry of the future. ...moreOnly Natural: Inaugural competition, funded by Leather & Hide Council of America and others, challenges fast fashion
From algae lamps to bamboo chairs: young designers shine with sustainable creations International student competition challenged entrants to design bespoke pieces using only natural materials, inspired by nature’s beauty Students from London College of Fashion, Central Saint Martins, The Royal College of Arts, Nottingham T ...moreSlavesPublicity has always been a very important trade tool and its use to sell products goes back ‘ages’. The use of publicity is becoming more and more important as people, the consumers, are not thinking anymore with their own heads, but follow what others, so-called self-promoted influencers, tell them how to behave, how to dres ...moreFusion achieves LWG silver ratingCape Town, W. Cape, SA – Fusion Leather World (Pty) Ltd is the 11th South African tannery to become a Leather Working Group (LWG) certified supplier. It has been awarded a silver rating.“It’s now expected of leather exporters to have certification,” said MD Denzil Spolander. “Most of our growth will be from e ...moreRwanda: Realism needed for a country with wonderful hides and skinsNote: This correspondent requested anonymity.I read the Pill concerning the tannery park project in Rwanda. I fully agree with Sam Setter!Please allow me to share my mostly fantastic Rwanda experience. My first visit to Rwanda was back in 1981 where I met the MD of the Rwanda Leather Industry tannery at the outskirts of Kigali and the MD ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- The 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 ...moreEffects of AI in developing the relationship between feet and footwear (part 1)
Historically, theoretically and practically, our feet have played a significant role in the connection of the body to mother earth. We know that the foot is a hardy, adaptable and biomechanically efficient part of the anatomy, such that little else is required to ensure maximum traction, propulsion, stability, cushioning, shock absorption ...moreLemaitre’s Robust Pro, ‘based on user feedback, is a gamechanger in safety footwear’
Lemaitre, a trusted leader in safety footwear, is proud to announce the launch of the New Robust Pro, a reimagined safety shoe designed to deliver unparalleled comfort, durability, and all-around protection for workers across industries. With the Robust Pro we set out to create a shoe that truly works as hard as the people who wear it by ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Sam Setter's 'Pills': TraceabilityThe EU Commission is very much engaged in bringing traceability of our raw materials to the forefront of tannery management. But let’s reflect on this for a moment. In the industrial world traceability is a fact, and particularly where food is involved, traceability is a standard requirement for trading. This is firstly to ensure fo ...moreSARLEN: Defining what needs to be doneThe SARLEN webinar on 12 June 2026 featured 3 main speakers. The entire presentation can be seen here: : https://drive.google.com/file/d/14xBkPMTqsln-YuqkCXsm_vsazDwNqL83/view?usp=sharing ...moreCooperation between SMEs, academia and government can find solutions
Dr Cecilia China, AfriTech Organic Leather Co. Ltd, the Nelson Mandela Institution of Science & Technology She said Africa has the hides and skins but lacks organised systems to convert them into competitive products.She described her interactions with the Kiwango Leather Cluster with the goal of producing high quality, eco-frien ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- The PPE Conference – PPE isn’t optional, it’s essential: A review
Leighton Bennett, the Safety First Association chairperson and a SHE and risk management consultantThe hosts of this first PPE Conference held in South Africa, were the Safety First Association and SAPEMA, on the 10 and 11 March 2026, at the Emperor’s Palace, in Kempton Park.This conference objectives were to provide a unique opport ...moreNew OHS regulations coming into force later this year mean PPE needs to be reviewed, too
In March 2025, the Physical Agents Regulations (and their guidelines) and the Noise Exposure Regulations (and their guidelines) of the OHSAct were published, with an 18-month time-period promulgation date to September 2026, allowing employers time to upgrade their Health & Safety requirements to comply with the new published regulatio ...moreBiodegradable disposable gloves ‘a growing trend’ in PPE
The poster is available to download in English in both PNG and PDF formats hereCompostable and biodegradable PPE are said to be rapidly growing trends internationally, lead by brands like Showa and HaPPE Earth.The nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH in Hürth, Germany, has published an updated versio ...more
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