Adidas has phased out the use of kangaroo leather in its athletic footwear, concluding a supply transition that follows mounting public pressure and industry shifts away from the material. The decision by the global sportswear manufacturer arrives after activist campaigns targeted its supply chain and major competitors abandoned the practice.
The End of Kangaroo Leather in Adidas Production
By 2025, Adidas completed the processing of its final acquired kangaroo hides into finished footwear. According to a company spokesperson, the use of kangaroo leather had steadily declined over recent years and ultimately accounted for less than 0.1 percent of the materials the brand utilized for the upper construction of its shoes. Any remaining inventory featuring the material currently available for purchase represents leftover stock.
The phaseout aligns Adidas with industry peers. In 2023, both Nike and Puma announced commitments to stop utilizing kangaroo leather in their product lines. Pressure on Adidas escalated during its 2024 annual shareholders’ meeting, where activists disrupted proceedings to protest the brand’s continued sourcing of the material. Following these demonstrations, Adidas halted its purchasing of kangaroo hides later that year.
Wild Population Management and the Hunting Debate
The commercial use of kangaroo products relies on population management programs authorized by the Australian government. An estimated 40 million kangaroos inhabit the country, outnumbering Australia’s human population of 27 million. Authorities maintain that culling is necessary to regulate the population and prevent the animals from becoming a severe agricultural and ecological pest.
Investigations into the commercial harvest, including documentation by the Dutch broadcast program Keuringsdienst van waarde, have highlighted the operational realities of the night hunts. Researcher and director Joyce van der Bijl noted the challenges hunters face while operating at night. Professional hunters typically work during nighttime hours, targeting a set number of animals per shift under strict government guidelines that mandate headshots to ensure immediate mortality.
Animal rights organizations have frequently criticized the trade, pointing out the difficulties of shooting moving targets over long distances in the dark. Activists have raised concerns over instances where animals are not killed instantly, as well as the inadvertent culling of female kangaroos with dependent young in their pouches, which violates official regulatory prescriptions.
International Trade Restrictions and Legislative Pushback
The debate surrounding kangaroo products has driven legislative action across multiple jurisdictions. In the United States, the commercial trade of kangaroo-derived items has faced statutory restrictions. In the Netherlands, which historically served as a significant importer of these goods, a majority of the Tweede Kamer—the lower house of the Dutch parliament—voted in 2024 to advocate for a national import ban targeting the products, though such trade restrictions require broader European Union implementation to take effect.
For decades, manufacturers like Adidas categorized kangaroo hides as a secondary byproduct of government-sanctioned population control programs, arguing that the primary objective of the culling was wildlife management rather than commercial gain. However, concerted public awareness campaigns, exemplified by slogans such as “Kangaroos are not shoes,” shifted consumer sentiment and corporate policy across the athletic apparel sector.
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