Nike announced that it will stop using kangaroo skins for its sneakers this year, weeks after a similar move by its German rival Cougarending a highly controversial practice that has drawn the ire of consumers and animal rights advocates.
Sportswear giant Nike Inc said it would debut a new line of Tiempo football boots, called Tiempo Legend Elite, with a proprietary synthetic material that replaces the use of kangaroo leather.
The Tiempo Premier line of soccer boots, due to launch this summer, will also do without kangaroo leather, Nike said. The company ended its partnership with its only kangaroo fur supplier in 2021, he added.
Nike and Puma’s decision to end the use of kangaroo leather in their football boots marks a major victory for animal welfare activists, who have long urged companies to stop unethical practices involving animal cruelty.
“The Nike ad (…) is a seismic event in the protection of wildlife, and the tremors will be felt around the world”Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, said Tuesday. “Especially in Australia, where the massive commercial killing of kangaroos is taking place.”
The group has spearheaded the campaign “Kangaroos are not shoes” which he announced in 2020, and has been instrumental in introducing legislation banning the import and sale of kangaroo products.
An increasingly younger generation of environmentally conscious shoppers has also pushed for more sustainable clothing companies.
Gucci owner Kering SA, Italy’s Prada and luxury parka maker Canada Goose Holdings Inc have abandoned the use of animal fur in their collections in recent years.
Source: Reuters
Source: Gestion
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