Japanese sportswear brand Asics has announced it will cease sourcing kangaroo leather for its footwear, following in the footsteps of German brand Adidas, which recently confirmed it had ended the use of the material in its football boots.
In a statement shared with Animal Wellness and the Center for a Humane Economy, Asics’s sustainability department said:
“We would like to share with you that, as we have successfully developed high-performance alternatives to kangaroo leather, we are moving toward ending the production of products using kangaroo leather by the end of 2025.”
This move aligns Asics with a growing list of major sports brands—including Puma, Nike, and New Balance—that have already phased out the use of kangaroo skins.
Wayne Pacelle, President of the Center for a Humane Economy, welcomed the announcement:
“With the rapid-fire announcements from ASICS and adidas, we’re witnessing the dismantling of a supply chain built on bloodshed and the orphaning of kangaroo joeys. The foreign markets for kangaroo skins are collapsing, and that can only mean good news for the iconic marsupials of Australia.”
Jennifer Skiff, the organisation’s Director of International Programmes and lead for the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, added:
“Asics has acknowledged a fundamental truth: the commercial slaughter of wild kangaroos for their skins is neither ethical nor morally defensible. Asics’s innovative materials outperform kangaroo leather, removing any justification for continuing this inhumane trade.”
Kangaroo leather, once a sought-after material in footwear for its exceptional durability and light weight, was a staple in football boots for decades. ASICS incorporated it into several models, including the LETHAL BLEND, LETHAL TIGREOR, and ULTREZZA. While the brand has not issued an official statement, selected listings on the ASICS website now feature discontinuation notices for these kangaroo leather models.
Following Asics’s decision, the Center and Animal Wellness Action are increasing pressure on Mizuno—currently the last major sportswear brand still using kangaroo leather—to abandon the practice.
“Asics is setting an ethical standard that other Japanese companies should follow. I hope Mizuno will be next,” said Victoria Garafola, the Center’s representative in Japan.
