Adidas will no longer use kangaroo leather in its shoes
The decision was confirmed by the global sportswear giant's CEO, Bjørn Gulden, at Adidas' 2025 Annual General Meeting recently held in Germany. Gulden added that the brand had stopped purchasing kangaroo leather months ago.
The decision was one that was a long time coming, after the company faced public outcry over its continued use of materials made from kangaroos in its fashion line.
Animal welfare organisation, Centre for a Humane Economy, has been calling for brands to stop using kangaroo leather in their products since 2020, when it launched its Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign. Through the initiative, the organisation has led a series of protests and investigations that expose the inhumane methods of acquiring kangaroo leather.
Since the launch of the campaign, brands like Diadora, Puma, Nike, and New Balance have also announced the end of producing sneakers using kangaroo leather. The organisation says that kangaroo deaths related to the sourcing of their leather have already dropped from 2 million to 1.3 million since 2020.
The mass killing of kangaroos has been driven by exports mainly for kangaroo skins,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Centre for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action.
“With Adidas exiting the trade, we have shut down sourcing of skins by the world’s top five athletic shoe brands. We now will redouble our efforts to secure similar pledges from Japanese companies Asics and Mizuno and end this trade once and for all.”
This victory is part of a global shift toward ethical fashion, as more companies embrace sustainable practices and phase out animal-derived materials.