S&V African Leather Magazine Vol19 No8 August 2025
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
05 Upfront
- “It’s unfair to target ostrich products,” writes Cape Karoo International MD Francois de Wet of the US tariffs. “There are no alternatives.”
- Hunting industry has been a major contributor to the recovery of SA’s tourism sector.
- ISTT revises wastewater course as international students register.
09 An Eclectic View
- Bio emulsions are a potentially lucrative new field of study, writes correspondent H. Procter.
12 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- It’s personal! The Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor mourns the loss of her leather boots – because they can’t be resoled.
14 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (06), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (10), Mimosa (04), Rolfes Leather Division (03), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (03), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (11), Stahl (OFC), Sustainable Leather Foundation (08).
The Next Issue
- The September 2025 issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 17 September. The deadline for contributions is 10 September.
- ‘It’s unfair to target us,’ argues Cape Karoo International – ‘there’s no alternative’
The impact of a 30% duty on exports of ostrich leather and feathers from SA to the USA ...moreHunting industry contributes R44 billion to SA economy, study says, and taxidermists contribute R500m-R750m of that
Under the headline “South Africa’s secret R44 billion weapon”, Daily Investor on 16 July publicised a study which claims that South Africa’s hunting tourism sector contributes over R44 billion and 95 000 jobs to the country.It quoted North-West University (NWU) Professors Peet van der Merwe and Andrea Saayman ...moreISTT updates tannery wastewater treatment course
Grahamstown, E. Cape, SA – Following the registration of Australian students, and as part of its conversion to a distance education/online international leather training provider, the International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) has updated its tannery wastewater treatment course.In conjunction with Johan Barnard’s Enviro ...moreBIO-EMULSIONS
The development of biobased and biodegradable coatings using pre-polymers in emulsions has seen significant progress in recent years, driven by sustainability goals and regulatory pressures to reduce petroleum-based and non-degradable materials. There is a stark difference between a polymer that is derived from biogenic origin, known as a ...moreMourning My Favourite Boots
How one pair of well-travelled boots made me question footwear sustainability ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourNo limits to luxury’s dirty secrets? There seem to be no limits when it comes to digging out dirt about brands violating their own rules. Another top brand is under investigation, caught red handed by Italian authorities for violating labour laws by employing illegal (Chinese) immigrants, paying them indecently low wages for long wo ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Ken Riches: Reflections on an extraordinary life: Those who can, do – those who can do it even better, teach
It’s been 18 years this month since Ken Riches died. Here is a glimpse into what lay under that fairly protective exterior.Ken Riches, one of our country’s true footwear experts, passed peacefully on to that final production line in the sky on 11 August 2008. He had lived through the rapidly changing times from just after the ...moreNike claims ‘mental benefits’ from new styles, observers take wait-and-see approach
Nike makes big technical claims for a category of non-sport footwear (their description: pre-game and post-game) launched in January.Certainly not the first footwear to incorporate underfoot pressure points, ‘Nike Mind Technology’ is 2 shoes – a mule and a sneaker (in different colour options) – which Nike says lit ...moreGrey Street – memories of an 80s GenX cool dude
Jonathan Commons, our webmaster, grew up in the Durban of the 1980s. He has a great affection for the Grey Street outfitters of the era, and he wrote these recollections.Oddly enough the news item about the closure of Jay's Outfitters triggered a bit of nostalgia for the good old days when, as a teenager in the 80s, one could hitchhike do ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- World first - compost: Possible, desirable, not necessarily simple
The world of compostable leather is not as historically accurate as the industry would like it to be. The definition of leather is: “hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to be imputrescible (rot-proof). Hair or wool may or may not have been removed, and the material can include split layers or ...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 ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': You have to be very clever to understand this document, but hopefully it will do some goodIn June, UNIDO launched an impressive document called “Guideline”. It is a very detailed, environment oriented, technical and scientific document where the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCP) play a prominent role. The document, peer reviewed, has been developed for UNIDO with the main contributor ...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 ...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 ...moreCONSIDERING A PPE MATRIX
What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) do we need to have on site to reduce and manage the workplace and environmental exposure risks to our employees?Safety and mining legislation place the responsibility on employers to ensure that they provide and maintain working environments that are safe and without risk to the health on employees ...more
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