S&V African Leather Magazine Vol19 No3 March 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.
- A response from Stuart Cranfield to the last issue’s Pill.
05 Upfront
- When there are so many real issues to be concerned about, why pick on an industry which does much more good than harm, asks Le Croc’s Stefan van As.
- New Zimbabwean tannery seeks ‘retired adviser’.
07 An Eclectic View
- Regenerative Agriculture: Tanners should try to source their hides from farmers who are practising sustainable farming techniques, says correspondent H. Procter.
10 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- The subjective nature of auditing is something which auditors need to work together to resolve, says the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor.
14 Decoding Tanning Science
- The use of copper nanoparticles to prevent bacterial and fungal growth on leather, by Dr Clive Jackson-Moss.
15 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
17 Agriculture
- Africa Agri Tech Conference and Exhibition: ‘All problems have a common solution – technology’.
- The Department of Agriculture seeks King’s support in FMD campaign.
- Update on outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in KZN.
Advertisers in this Issue
All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) (OFC), Authenticae (09), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (12), Mimosa (06), Rolfes Leather Division (02), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (14), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (11), Sustainable Leather Foundation (04)
The Next Issue
- The April 2025 issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 09 April. The deadline for contributions is 02 April.
- REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Tanners should try to source their hides from farmers who are practising sustainable farming techniques ...moreThe subjective nature of auditing
This month’s article has a personal perspective, perhaps you might say a subjective perspective, and that is the challenge of applying consistent approaches and standards to auditing. I’m speaking here from recent personal experience – names and organisations are excluded for obvious reasons, but the case study is real. ...moreThe use of copper nanoparticles to prevent bacterial and fungal growth on leather
IntroductionBiocides and fungicides are used at different stages of the leather-making process. However, bacteria and fungi are still able to grow on finished leather, and especially vegetable tanned leather. The reason for this is that sweat from footwear can act as a carbon source for microbial growth, or that the concentration of fungi ...moreDepartment of Agriculture seeks King’s support in FMD campaign
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (21 February 2025) – The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, accompanied by the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Agriculture, T.P. Madlopha-Mthethwa and industry role-players met with King Misuzulu kaZwelithini at the eMashobeni Royal Palace in Nongoma to discuss the ongoing challenges posed by Foot and Mouth Disea ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Too much is still not enough!My favourite way of communication is definitely not social media. We are flooded with nonsense and plainly untrue posts, and I dare say that most have a negative influence on us, on our behaviour and our habits. Personally, I refuse to be told who to vote for, how to dress, what to eat and enrich in the process totally unknown people call ...moreA response to Sam Setter’s Pill, ‘Audits and reality aren’t always the same thing’, in the last issueI am not going to defend the brands or auditing systems referred to in the article shared by Sam. I would like to provide some thoughts from my own experiences for some of the drivers for those behaviours.The lack of transparency of parts of the supply chain and the superficiality of auditing systems are not disconnected; they are both af ...moreWhen there are so many real issues to be concerned about, why pick on an industry which does much more good than harm?While some animal welfare organisations are the prime motivators behind anti-leather campaigns, they rely on others to cave in to their campaigns. London Fashion Week this year banned reptile leather. ...moreNew Zim tannery seeks ‘retired adviser’A new tannery to process cow and goat skins has started near Harare, and is hoping to attract “a retired tanning person” from South Africa for a short period to help set it up.“We have 3 drums and a few machines,” said Hashmook Naran of Tika Shoes, Harare, who is involved in the new business.“We’re curr ...moreAfrica Agri Tech Conference and Exhibition: ‘All problems have a common solution – technology’Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – The third Africa Agri Tech Conference and Exhibition (AAT), taking place from 18 to 20 March 2025 at the CSIR Convention Centre in Pretoria, is the gateway to the latest AgTech breakthroughs.“The biggest challenges facing food producers today – rising input costs, erratic weather, theft, and logis ...moreUpdate on outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in KZNPretoria, Gauteng, SA (27 February 2025) – The Department recently received test results confirming the ongoing presence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) viruses in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Cattle at a dip tank in Mtubatuba have tested positive for FMD. These cattle showed clinical signs of FMD in December, prompting sample collection ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Comrades Marathon 2025Because of its broad appeal and the number – 23 000 is the maximum allowed – and diversity of its participants, the Comrades is regarded as a key indicator of the popularity of running shoe brands in SA. Runners, who have to register by early December for the race in June the following year, are asked to fill in the brand ...moreThat bag goes on auction
The original Hermès Birkin bag – more about capacity than style.The original Hermès Birkin bag, which acted as the blueprint for what would become one of the most desirable celebrity status symbols in the world, will be auctioned by Sotherby’s in Paris on 10 July.According to CNN, in 1984 actress and singer ...moreCan Nike’s new CEO revive sales?
Can someone with 32 years at a company bring the bold, disruptive change needed to turn it around? Nike’s Elliott Hill is that man; he spent that amount of time at Nike before retiring — only to return as CEO on October 14, 2024. While his deep experience provides stability, it may also lead to an overreliance on past strategi ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- ESG PORTFOLIOS
Over the past decade, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has experienced significant growth, driven by increasing awareness of sustainability issues and a desire for ethical investment options. However, recent years have seen a notable decline in ESG investments, raising questions about their future viability. ...moreCountry hides and skins: Changed markets for a forgotten source
Changes in the global leather market have impacted most on the bottom rung of the leather value chain – ‘country’ hides and skins. This was starkly illustrated when S&V African Leather received a call from someone in the Eastern Cape who had previously made a living collecting them for sale to agents acting on behalf of hide and skin collectors. The agents were still there, he said, but they weren’t interested in buying what he had to offer. Where should he look?rnrn A call to trader Gareth Diesel in East London, who works for and with Elliott Brothers and its subsidiary, East London Abattoir, confirmed that market had died in the province.rnrn He suggested we ask Greg Feinberg, MD of SA’s biggest hide and skin trader, pickler and wet blue tannery, Cape Produce Company, for ‘the bigger picture’. ...moreEthiopia’s Modjo Leather Manufacturing Hub aims to boost exports
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (12 April 2025) – The Modjo state-of-the art leather manufacturing facility and a renovated satellite laboratory are intended to spearhead Ethiopia's leather industry and foster sustainable employment opportunities.The project is a collaborative initiative, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by t ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Beier Group, Department of Higher Education and SETA ‘better together’
Pinetown, KZN, SA – The Beier Group, which includes the BBF Safety Group, in December hosted the Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET) and the FP&M SETA for an oversight visit to ensure that state funds are being used in accordance with the Sectoral Skills Plan.DHET deputy minister Dr Mimmy Martha Gondwe and SETA ...moreSouth Africa’s first safety escape room for hands-on health and safety training
South Africa's first safety escape room was set up at Phalaborwa Mining Company (PMC) in November last year by health and safety solutions provider KBC.“We required a fresh approach to training,” said Mabore Macheru, Manager in Training Development and Contractor Management at PMC. “This offers an interactive and practic ...moreUnderstanding respirator PPE
The subject of Respirator Personal Protective Equipment is confusing until one understands the basic concept requirements.OHS Act defines Respiratory Protective Equipment as a device which is worn over at least the mouth and nose to prevent the inhalation of air borne hazardous chemical substances and which is of a type or conforms to a s ...more
© S&V Publications
