Just months after Nike and Puma’s announcements, New Balance has informed the Center for a Humane Economy that the company will also phase out its use of kangaroo hides and stop selling kangaroo-based shoes by December 2024. Kangaroo skins are commonly used to make soccer cleats.
The Center for a Humane Economy, a non-profit animal welfare organization based in Washington, DC, launched its “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” campaign more than three years ago to secure a commitment from athletic shoe companies to rid their supply chains of kangaroo skins. Since the beginning of the campaign, four major athletic shoe brands have announced policies to stop sourcing kangaroo skins for athletic shoes: Nike, Puma, New Balance, and Diadora. Several other shoe companies are still using kangaroo skins.
The demand for kangaroo leather drives the commercial slaughter of kangaroos across Australia, with more than a million wild kangaroos gunned down in their native habitat each year, according to the organization. In addition, over 300,000 joeys die after their mothers are killed in night-time shoots.
