S&V African Leather Magazine Vol19 No1 January 2025
Click the advert links for more info. • Download PDF






IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- No replacement yet for Pangea SA MD.
- ISTT launches online courses for international market. “Our future is the world,” says Dr Clive Jackson-Moss.
- Kenya eyes export windfall from revamped leather industry, according to Business Daily.
- Kawumu Leather Industry to start producing footwear and soles, reports Nexus Media.
- Ugandan National Council for Science and Technology and National Research Fund Kenya call for joint planning.
08 An Eclectic View
- Yoghurt unhairing: A missed opportunity? asks correspondent H. Procter.
10 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- New year, new ambitions? The Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor says measures of success must be broadened to include the planet and people.
- Leather & Hide Council of America backs Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus
13 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
14 Training
- Studies in leather education by Richard Daniels.
14 Research
- Abstract of a paper on the pathology of ‘double scale’ skin defect in farmed American alligators.
16 Agriculture
- Update on FMD in SA: Status of disease in E. Cape and KZN.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (10), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (14), Mimosa (05), Rolfes Leather Division (OFC), S&V Calendar (this page), S&V Directory (09), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (11), Sustainable Leather Foundation (03).
The Next Issue
- The February issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 12 February. The deadline for contributions is 5 February.
- Uganda to start producing footwear and soles in 2025 at Kawumu Leather IndustryKampala, Uganda (19 December 2024) – The journalists who recently met the president while on a PDM assessment tour in Teso and Karamoja requested for a wealth creation tour of model farms in the country to strengthen mindset change to enable them to successfully engage in production.Uganda is set to begin producing footwear and sole ...moreYOGHURT UNHAIRING A missed opportunity?In December 1986 a group out of the now defunct Protein and Leather department (headed by Heidemann) in Darmstadt published a paper that received some attention - but did not manage to influence the industry to the extent it should have. The group was trying to develop a new preservation method using a technology that Germans have used fo ...moreNew Year, New Ambitions?The tradition of making a New Year’s Resolution is entrenched in ancient roots. Originally, used as a promise or commitment to Gods to repay debts or return borrowed items, they were a form of restoration. Resolutions evolved through Roman times to include reflection on the past as well as promises for the future, that often inclu ...moreLeather & Hide Council of America backs Congressional Slow Fashion CaucusStay Slow. Stay Real. Enjoy the Journey.03 December 2024 – The Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) has pledged its support to the Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus. The caucus, founded by district of Maine congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Washington district’s Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and California's Sydney Kamlager-Dove ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Environment and PoliticsCOP 29 is behind us and to say that it was a failure would be the understatement of the year! Mountains of millions were spent to have people attend, more as a relaxing holiday than a full-scale attempt to get projects approved to improve the environment. The VIPs, those that promote the action against climate chance, all travelled by pri ...moreNo replacement yet for Pangea SA MDNigel, Gauteng, SA – Former Pangea SA MD Shalen Sewnandan, who left the company in October last year, is consulting to Pangea, among other companies, on various issues.Pangea SA has not, so far, announced a new MD. Top management currently running the company are finance & administration director Adrian Visser, operations & ...moreISTT launches online courses for international marketGrahamstown, E. Cape, SA – This year, the International School of Tanning Technology will become just that – international – and our first 2 foreign customers have signed up before we launch.All our courses have been redeveloped for online tuition.Given the shock announcement last year that the University of Northampton ...moreState eyes Sh175bn annually from revamped leather industryBusiness DailyNairobi, Kenya (06 January 2025) – The State is eyeing a Sh175 billion annual turnover from a revamped leather industry, up from the current Sh15 billion, a top official said.Deputy president Kithure Kindiki, while inspecting work on the planned Kinanie Leather Park in Machakos County on Monday, said the leather indust ...moreCall for joint research proposals in agro-processing (food & feed) and leather value chain development in Kenya and UgandaNairobi, Kenya / Kampala, Uganda (06 January 2025) –The Ugandan National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) and the National Research Fund (NRF) Kenya have issued a bilateral joint call for collaborative research proposals under the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI). This initiative aims to generate critical knowle ...moreStudies in leather educationThe loss of much tradition-based training - such as the recent closure of ICLT – is a matter of concern, and can have serious effects that extend across the global leather sector. Nevertheless, there are two existing and updated studies available to help address these eventualities and minimise the impact of such closures.The first ...morePathology of ‘double scale’ skin defect in farmed American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) and the possible association with hepatic fibrosisIlaria M Piras 1, Annemarie Bezuidenhout 2, Josué Díaz-Delgado 3 4, Deirdre Slawski 2, Pamela A Kelly 1 Affiliations1University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.2Padenga Holdings Ltd, Harare, Zimbabwe.3Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Statio ...moreUpdate on FMD outbreak in E. Cape and KZNPretoria, Gauteng, SA (20 December 2024) – Currently, there are 2 Provinces with ongoing foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks, while all other FMD outbreaks have been resolved and closed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).Eastern Cape Province The outbreak in the Eastern Cape Province remains stable, with no new ...more
Footwear Industry Articles
- The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and AdidasChinese 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 ...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 ...moreA 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 ...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 ...moreImproving the strength and softness of crust leather through pressure treatmentIntroductionRetanning and fatliquoring have a major impact on the characteristics of leather, whereas dyeing and the finishing concentrate on the appearance of the leather. Various retanning agents and fatliquoring agents have been developed to improve the softness and mechanical strength of leather, parameters that are important to the b ...moreMobilising Africa’s natural livestock resource to reinvigorate the regional leather value chainAfrica 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
- Premier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforceIn 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 ...moreJCB 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 ...moreMaking fall protection practicalWorking 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 ...more
© S&V Publications














