In a decisive move, Adidas has officially ended the use of kangaroo leather in its products. The announcement came during the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on Thursday, where CEO Bjørn Gulden revealed that the use of kangaroo leather had already been quietly discontinued several months earlier.
The decision follows direct appeals from animal welfare advocates, notably Wayne Pacelle, President of the Center for a Humane Economy, who travelled to Germany to press the issue. His advocacy is part of the wider Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, which has successfully persuaded major athletic brands — including Nike, Puma, New Balance, Diadora, and UK-based Sokito — to eliminate kangaroo leather from their supply chains.
“With Adidas exiting the trade, we have shut down the sourcing of skins by the world’s top five athletic shoe brands. We will now redouble our efforts to secure similar pledges from Japanese companies ASICS and Mizuno and end this trade once and for all,” said Pacelle.
Adidas has long been a key player in the commercial kangaroo leather trade, which has been widely criticised for its brutality. According to In Defense of Animals, an estimated two million kangaroos — including mothers and their dependent joeys — were killed annually. Reports detail that orphaned joeys are often left to die or are killed inhumanely.
Dr Marilyn Kroplick, President and CEO of In Defense of Animals, described the announcement as a “monumental win for kangaroos and a powerful example of how advocacy can drive positive change. For years, we have urged Adidas and other companies to end the use of kangaroo leather, and today, thanks to the voices of our supporters and allies, that day has finally come.” The organisation has campaigned relentlessly, mobilising thousands of calls and over 15,000 emails to pressure Adidas to abandon the controversial material.
Since its inception in 2020, the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, led by the Center for a Humane Economy in Bethesda, Maryland, has driven investigations, protests, and legal actions to expose and challenge the kangaroo leather trade. Their efforts have contributed to a significant decline in the annual kill rate, which has fallen from 2 million to 1.3 million and is projected to decrease further as industry practices evolve.
Donny Moss of TheirTurn, an activist group that staged in-store protests, praised the achievement: “This win belongs to every advocate who stood outside a store, signed a petition, or raised their voice. Together, we are saving millions of animals.”
