Nike meets animal rights activists’ demands for kangaroos

Sportswear company Nike said it will stop using kangaroo skin in its shoes this year, weeks after a similar move by German rival Puma, ending a highly controversial practice that has angered consumers and animal rights activists.

And Nike said in a statement that it will launch a new group of football shoes of the Tempo model, called the Tempo Legend Elite, in which the synthetic material of the company will replace the kangaroo leather.

The range of Tempo Premier football boots, which were due to hit the market this summer, will also be kangaroo leather-free, according to Nike, adding that it has ended its partnership with the sole kangaroo leather supplier in 2021.

The decision by Nike and Puma to stop using kangaroo skin in soccer shoes is a major victory for animal rights activists who have long called on the companies to abandon unethical animal cruelty practices.
Commenting on Nike’s decision, Wayne Basil, President (Center for a Humane Economy), said Tuesday: “Nike’s announcement is a earthquake in wildlife protection, and all over the world will feel its impact, especially in Australia, which is witnessing mass slaughter of kangaroos for the purposes of trade.”

The group led the “Kangaroos are not shoes” campaign it announced in 2020, and played a vital role in advancing legislation banning the importation and sale of kangaroo products.

A growing generation of young, environmentally conscious shoppers is also pressing for greater sustainability in apparel companies.

Gucci’s owner Kering, Prada and luxury jacket maker Canada Goose Holdings have abandoned animal fur in their creations over the past few years.

California has not allowed the sale or import of products made from kangaroos into the state since 1971.