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
- City 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 ...moreHow 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 ...moreNational 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- SARLEN: 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 ...moreSam 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 ...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
PPE Industry Articles
- Making fall protection practical
Working at height is, by its nature, potentially dangerous. But only potentially. Properly planned and executed, working at height is safe. However, accidents and injuries are common.Part of the problem is that many – most – businesses do fall protection plans as tick box exercises. Industry can help by planning correctly, whi ...moreStatistical shape modelling for population-specific respirator design: Addressing fit failure in South African populations
Respirators are widely regarded as the last line of defence against hazardous airborne exposures. Whether protecting healthcare workers from tuberculosis, laboratory personnel from infectious samples, or workers exposed to carcinogenic dusts and fumes, respirators are often relied upon when other controls cannot eliminate exposure. This r ...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 ...more
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