Nike to drop use of kangaroo skins for its shoes in 2023

Prada SpA

14/03/2023 16:05

March 14 (Reuters) - Nike said it will stop using
kangaroo skins for its shoes this year, weeks after a similar
step from German rival Puma, which would end a highly
controversial practice that has drawn ire from consumers and
animal rights activists.
    Sportswear giant Nike Inc  NKE.N  in a statement issued on
Monday said it would debut a new line of Tiempo football boots,
called the Tiempo Legend Elite, with a proprietary synthetic
material that replaces the use of kangaroo leather. 
    The Tiempo Premier line of football boots, which is set to
launch this summer, will also forego kangaroo skin, Nike said.
The company ended its partnership with its only kangaroo leather
supplier in 2021, it added.  
    The decision from Nike and Puma  PUMG.DE  to end the use of
kangaroo skin in their football boots comes as a big win for
animal welfare activists, who have for long urged companies to
drop unethical practices involving animal cruelty. 
    "Nike's announcement...is a seismic event in wildlife
protection, and tremors will be felt all over the world,
especially in Australia where the mass commercial slaughter of
kangaroos occurs," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center
for a Humane Economy, on Tuesday. 
    The group has spearheaded the "Kangaroos Are Not Shoes"
campaign, which it announced in 2020, and has been key behind
introducing legislation banning the import and sale of kangaroo
products.
    A growing generation of younger, environmentally conscious
shoppers have also pressed for more sustainability from clothing
companies. 
    Gucci owner Kering SA  PRTP.PA , Italy's Prada  1913.HK  and
luxury parka maker Canada Goose Holdings Inc  GOOS.TO  have all
ditched the use of animal fur in their collections over the last
few years.       
    California has not allowed products made from kangaroos to
be sold or imported into the state since 1971.   

    

 (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna
Chandra Eluri)
 ((DeborahMary.Sophia@thomsonreuters.com;))