New Balance joins Nike and Puma in dropping cruel kangaroo leather

30/09/2023

Big win for kangaroos and animal lovers all over as athletic giant New Balance decides to say no more to kangaroo skins and halt sales of kangaroo leather shoes by December next year.

More and more companies are realising the degree of suffering and cruelty involved in the commercial kangaroo hunt and no longer want to contribute to it.

Banner image: Ondrej Machart / Unsplash

The global sports brand recently altered their sourcing policies and has committed to phasing out the use of kangaroo skins and sales of their kangaroo leather shoes by December 2024.

This win for kangaroos comes a little over six months since Nike’s decision to switch from kangaroo leather to an innovative non-animal alternative and Puma’s announcement of switching to the cruelty-free alternative K-Better in their kangaroo leather football boots.

However, other athletic footwear giants such as Adidas are still lagging behind as they continue the cruel usage of kangaroo leather in their football boots.

Springende kangoeroes

Millions of wild kangaroos are cruelly hunted for their meat and skin. Data suggests around 40% of the shots fired are not immediately fatal, leaving the kangaroos to die a slow, painful death or be permanently maimed.

With the availability and proven performance of innovative non-animal alternatives, the suffering of kangaroos for footwear and other fashion items is completely indefensible.

Together, we can move more companies to phase out the cruel practice of using kangaroo leather and make the world a kinder place for kangaroos.