CTFA Annual Report 2020

versus the previous year. This is testimony to the difficulties experienced by mainly small to medium sized companies in the industry during the pandemic. Internally, the CTFA IT systems were enhanced to adequately enable all the necessary platforms to hold meetings and member interactions virtually. Whilst the complement of staff remained constant and working intermittently from home and the office, a very sad development was the loss of Charlene Lynch, the CTFA Communications Officer, in September 2020, a tragic loss to both her family and the CTFA. A very important aspect of CTFA is its corporate social responsibility arm, Look Good Feel Better (LGFB), who have made a huge difference in the lives of so many people fighting cancer. In 2020 services rendered to the myriad of cancer survivors, normally held at oncology centers, were cancelled due to lockdown. In addition, sponsorships, various income generating events and the overall way of doing business was curtailed with dire financial consequences for the LGFB programme. Yet Christie Fraser, the Programme Director, with her dedicated staff and team of volunteers have persevered. A sincere thank you to all CTFA members who support this worthy cause. I would like to acknowledge all who have collaborated over the last year in assisting the CTFA to continue its mission, “to support and develop a sustainable and respected South African Cosmetic Industry by proactively stimulating actions and developing tools that contribute to its growth and the progress of its Members while promoting consumer safety.” A special mention to the CTFA Executive Council and the CTFA members, it is thanks to your contribution and the sharing of your passion and expertise that we have thrived in a very difficult year. Adelia Pimentel | Executive Director One of the CTFA’s key roles as an industry association is to create awareness of the pending promulgation and compliance requirements. To this end various training interventions were held virtually during 2020 with both members and non-members. The use of virtual platforms throughout the year boded well for national attendance with record numbers. Regulatory harmonisation goes a long way to minimizing technical barriers to trade. Currently technical barriers in the continent of Africa are a challenge and many companies who want to export /trade in Africa find it a difficult task. CTFA’s ‘Africa strategy’ was conceptualised in 2020, to promote regulatory convergence and pro-actively liaise with various countries’ regulatory authorities. During 2020, CTFA together with the International Trade and Economic Development (ITED) division of the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC) met with regulators from Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana and Rwanda. ITED is the policy division in the DTIC responsible for trade and investment policy, conducting trade negotiations, investment treaty, managing bilateral trade relations, and advancing South Africa’s trade and developmental agenda in Africa. Discussion on national standards and regulatory guidelines will be an ongoing discussion for some time. International networking is paramount to keep the local industry informed on best practice and global updates that impact industry. CTFA further widened its international reach via various networks in 2020, through membership of the International Association Co-operation (IAC) under Cosmetics Europe. This forum discusses international concerns and promotes global harmonization by harnessing global synergies and input into various areas of commonality like availability and safety of sanitizer products, animal testing, China’s regulatory requirements, amongst others. CTFA’s portfolio is widespread and apart from the interaction with the National Department of Health, also involves local lobbying and networking as an ongoing objective. In 2020 various virtual interventions were held with the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC), the Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS). It is noteworthy that due to the pandemic and its repercussions on the economy the CTFA membership decreased by 14% COSMETIC TOILETRY AND FRAGRANCE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA 6