Four years after kangaroo-skin soccer shoes lingered on the margins of the world’s biggest soccer tournament, the material has effectively disappeared from elite play following a global campaign that persuaded every major athletic shoe brand to abandon the wildlife trade. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lionel Messi of Argentina, Kylian Mbappé of France, Erling Haaland of Norway, … Read more
Shoes made from the marsupials are an endangered species in major U.S. venues hosting matches featuring the world’s elite soccer stars At its start, the 2026 FIFA World Cup featured 48 national teams and 1,248 players on the official tournament rosters. With the quarterfinals now set after Belgium’s lopsided win over the United States last … Read more
Press Release Ill-timed bill comes just months after the biggest athletic shoe brands, including Nike, New Balance, and Adidas, halt their sourcing of kangaroo skins for soccer shoes SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee dismissed a desperate, ill-considered legislative gambit to repeal California’s long-standing, court-tested prohibition on the import, sale, and … Read more
Landmark corporate shift follows yearslong animal welfare campaign; advocates now push for federal ban on kangaroo imports WASHINGTON, D.C – The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action today announced a landmark achievement in animal welfare advocacy: as of Jan. 1, 2026, Adidas, New Balance, and ASICS have officially ceased using kangaroo leather in … Read more
New Film “Chasing Roo” Provides Undeniable Proof Commercial Kangaroo Kill is Inhumane WASHINGTON, D.C. — The just-released “Chasing Roo,” a documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Skye Fitzgerald, provides incontrovertible evidence that Australia’s commercial kangaroo killing industry systematically fails to follow the most minimal humane standards, directly contradicting Australian government claims made to U.S. lawmakers and other key stakeholders … Read more
U.S. Senators Duckworth and Booker, seeing momentum, introduce Kangaroo Protection Act to halt any imports or domestic trade in kangaroo parts You can listen to an AI-generated reading of this story here: I’ve alerted you to a drumbeat of announcements from major global athletic wear brands severing ties to the kangaroo-killing industry in Australia. Yet … Read more
U.S. Senators join Umbro in saying “no” to the trade in kangaroo parts, aligning with Nike, New Balance, Puma, adidas, and other athletic shoe retailers on their sourcing practices WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action applauded U.S. Senators. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., for introducing the Kangaroo Protection … Read more
Confirmation caps shift among global sportswear brands to exit the wildlife-skin trade OSAKA, Japan — Mizuno Corporation has confirmed in correspondence with the Center for a Humane Economy that it will end its use of kangaroo leather in its athletic footwear, corroborating a report from the Financial Times that the company has become the latest global brand to … Read more
We’ve set off a corporate stampede away from kangaroo skins as soccer shoe casing You can listen to an AI-generated reading of this story here: During the last three weeks, we’ve seen a rush of announcements from leaders of three big brands in the athletic shoe industry — Adidas first and then ASICS and Mizuno. … Read more
Japanese footwear giants react after adidas stops sourcing kangaroo parts OSAKA, Japan – Mizuno Corporation, a Japan-based leader in performance athletic footwear sold across the globe, will phase out the use of kangaroo leather in its shoes, according to reporting from Financial Times. The move comes two weeks after adidas announced an exit from the trade and just a … Read more
Momentum building for a global retreat from the trade in kangaroo skins KOBE, HYOGO, JAPAN — Just days after adidas announced it has ended its sourcing of kangaroo skins for its soccer cleats, the global athletic shoe giant ASICS has followed suit. The Japan-based company delivered that news to Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a … Read more
Wayne Pacelle of the Center for a Humane Economy makes case for action at Annual Shareholder Meeting in Fürth, Germany, and adidas CEO announced a permanent exit from the trade WASHINGTON, D.C. — After an in-person plea by the Center for a Humane Economy president Wayne Pacelle to adidas’s leadership to halt sourcing of kangaroo … Read more
Annual shareholder meeting to occur on May 15th in Fürth FÜRTH, Germany — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, will attend the adidas Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 15, in Fürth, Germany, to address the company’s continued use of kangaroo leather in its footwear lines. Pacelle will call on adidas leadership to … Read more
There’s no longer any compelling wildlife management or commercial use argument for kangaroo massacre in the Outback You can listen to this article here: This week, U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. — two major champions of animal welfare in Congress — introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 1992, to end the … Read more
Kangaroo Protection Act would bar imports of kangaroo parts into the world’s largest economy Washington, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy applauded U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., for this week introducing the Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 1992, to ban the sale of kangaroo body parts in the United States. The … Read more
Thanks to our Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign — launched in 2020 — the world now knows the gory details of the largest slaughter of mammals in the world for commercial trade in their parts. In Australia, nighttime shooters roll into the homes and habitats of kangaroos with their spotlights and rifles and take aim … Read more
Senators weigh in to stop the largest annual slaughter of terrestrial wildlife in the world WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Cory Booker, D-N.J. introduced legislation today to cut off the U.S. marketplace to the parts of kangaroos, who are commercially slaughtered in their native habitats for export, mainly to make athletic … Read more
Press Release Athletic wear giant contributes to mass orphaning of kangaroos Washington, D.C. — The Center for a Humane Economy responded to news this week that a live 6-month-old joey had to be rescued from inside the pouch of its decapitated mother in Queensland, Australia. Photographs and video of the grisly scene prompted the Center to … Read more
Press Release Comments come in response to concerned shareholders who explained inhumane, continued use of kangaroo skins in shoes Fürth, Germany — Animal wellness groups were encouraged by comments from Adidas CEO Björn Gulden who last week acknowledged that the commercial industry of killing kangaroos to make shoes is “terrible.” The top executive added, “We … Read more
Press Release Shareholders call out corporate executives to explain inhumane, continued use of kangaroo skins in shoe products Fürth, Germany — Animal welfare activists disrupted the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of adidas in Fürth, Germany, today with shareholders calling on corporate executives, CEO Björn Gulden and CFO Harm Ohlmeyer, to answer why the company persists … Read more
One more major win for our Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign puts additional pressure on Adidas. Perhaps overtaken by our counterpunching to the sheer sadism of the man who killed Theia (the adolescent female wolf in Wyoming), and, just before that horror, to the immense scale of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan for … Read more
The two big brands in athletic footwear announced plans last March to halt any use of kangaroo skins in their shoes by the end of 2023 Washington, D.C. — The Center for a Humane Economy noted that the start of the new year is the trigger for Puma and Nike to put into practice their March … Read more
We fight to tackle large-scale, industrialized mistreatment of animals, while also working to close out smaller-scale animal-exploitation enterprises that have lost any meaningful social acceptance. When you invest in a private company and buy its stock, you expect a return on your investment. You should expect the same from a non-profit. As we approach year … Read more
Press Release Footwear Giant Called Out for Cruelly Killing Native Wildlife (Sydney, Australia)— Animal activists throughout the world joined forces over the weekend, disrupting Adidas stores and alerting customers to the corporation’s involvement in the largest mass slaughter of terrestrial wildlife in the world — on kangaroos. Led by the Animal Justice Party and as … Read more
Press Release Center For A Humane Economy Helping Lead U.S. Actions Because Adidas Is An Outlier In Still Sourcing Kangaroo Parts For Soccer Cleats Sydney, Australia — Animal advocates, including the Center for a Humane Economy, are taking to the streets in a global day of protest against Adidas over its financing of the largest … Read more
Germany-based sportwear company can help turn things around by joining competitors in abandoning wildlife slaughter for its products. (Washington, D.C.) – The Center for a Humane Economy called on Adidas—the only remaining athletic shoe seller among the top five global brands to source wildlife skins for soccer cleats—to select an advocate of wildlife protection for … Read more
When U.S.-based New Balance informed the Center for a Humane Economy (the Center) days ago that it will phase out kangaroo skins in its supply chain, it was one more big moment in our efforts to protect Australia’s iconic mammals. Since the launch of our Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign in 2020, four of the … Read more
Boston-based athletic wear brand announces pledges to drop kangaroo-based shoes six months after Portland-based Nike says it will move away from the use of wildlife skins to make soccer cleats. Washington, D.C. — The athletic wear giant New Balance informed the Center for a Humane Economy yesterday that it has altered its sourcing policies and … Read more
Dick’s is still peddling athletic shoes from Adidas, Mizuno and others sourcing skins from kangaroos—even after Nike and Puma announced in 2023 they’d stop the practice. Pittsburgh, PA — The Center for a Humane Economy is telling Dick’s Sporting Goods to end its role as America’s biggest retailer of kangaroo-based shoes. The animal-welfare group and … Read more
Nike and Puma Made Public Pronouncements in March That They’d Halt Use of Kangaroo Skins in Their Supply Chains by the End of the Year WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leading a bipartisan group of three Republicans and three Democrats as sponsors, U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 4995, … Read more
Australia’s slaughter of kangaroos has long been an outlier on the world stage when it comes to our treatment of wildlife. In contemporary times, it was rivaled in scale and savagery perhaps only by the mass killing of baby harp and hooded seals in Atlantic Canada. Nike, one of the most recognizable brands in the … Read more
U.S. athletic wear brand announces policy to drop kangaroo-based shoes just days after Puma made a similar announcement, offering the prospect of ending the massive slaughter of kangaroos to make shoes for the world’s biggest sport Washington, D.C. – Nike, one of the best-known brands in the world, announced today that it will stop using … Read more
Puma sheds kangaroo skins in its athletic shoes, indirectly pressuring Nike and Adidas to disassociate themselves from the largest slaughter of terrestrial wild animals in the world Washington, D.C. – Puma, one of the biggest brands in athletic shoes and sportswear, announced this week that it is shedding kangaroo skins in its soccer cleats, bringing … Read more
Press Release Vermont Representative Conor Casey champions new bill to promote humane and conservation-minded commerce Montpelier, Vt. – Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy applauded State Representative Conor Casey, Washington-4, for introducing legislation to stop Nike and other athletic shoe companies from sourcing kangaroo skins for soccer cleat models. He has introduced the fifth state bill this year … Read more
Arizona State Rep. Amish Shah champions new bill to promote humane and conservation-minded commerce Phoenix, CT – Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy applauded State Representative Dr. Amish Shah, D-LD5, for introducing legislation to stop Nike and other athletic shoe companies from sourcing kangaroo skins for soccer cleat models. He has introduced the fourth state bill this … Read more
In December, Argentina bested France in a dramatic finale to the 2022 World Cup, with the South American soccer power prevailing in a shootout. One backstory of the soccer tournament, especially for animal advocates, is that the world’s best players voted with their feet and widely shunned the use of soccer cleats (aka football boots) … Read more
Press Release Bill aims to halt largest commercial slaughter of native wildlife in the world for soccer cleats. Salem, Oregon – The Center for a Humane Economy, Animal Wellness Action, and the Animal Wellness Foundation applauded Senator Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, for introducing new legislation that takes direct aim at Nike for its role in the … Read more
Connecticut State Representative David Michel champions new policies to promote humane and conservation-minded commerce Hartford, CT – The Center for a Humane Economy applauded State Representative David Michel, D- Stamford, for introducing legislation to stop Nike and other athletic shoe companies from sourcing kangaroo skins for a small number of their soccer cleat models. California, the largest … Read more
Senators Kean and Weinberg introduce legislation to stop sale of soccer cleats made from kangaroo skins by Nike, Adidas (TRENTON, NJ) – Veteran state senators are seeking to make the Garden State the second state in the nation to ban the trade in kangaroo skins for soccer shoes or cleats, and other purposes. Commercial shooters … Read more
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and other global soccer stars chose not to wear Nike or Adidas football boots made from kangaroos killed in the wild in Australia Washington, D.C. – Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and other soccer stars performed on the global stage in the 2022 World Cup without lacing up soccer cleats made from the … Read more
Press Release Groups Demand Soccer Shop USA Cease Illegal Sales of Kangaroo-based Soccer Cleats Los Angeles – The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action filed a second lawsuit today to compel compliance with California law barring the sale of kangaroo parts – this one against a second California-based sportwear retailer, alleging that the company … Read more
Press Release Groups Demand Retailer Soccer Wearhouse Comply with the Law Riverside, Calif. — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy filed a lawsuit today against Soccer Wearhouse, a California-based sportwear and equipment retailer that maintains outlets in Corona, Temecula and Anaheim, alleging that the company is illegally selling kangaroo-sourced soccer cleats … Read more
In 2019 and 2020, wildfires ignited large swaths of the Australian countryside. The conflagrations were devastating to humans, with significant loss of life and home. But the horrors for animals were even worse: a broad range of unique and iconic animals suffered, including dingoes, emus, platypuses, wombats, possums, long-footed potoroos, silver-headed antechinus, regent honeyeaters, and … Read more
Australian Nike stores draw crowds of angry protesters demanding the end to the cruel, unsustainable commercial slaughter of wild kangaroos (Sydney) – Australians took to the streets over the weekend in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to send a message direct to Nike, protesting at their flagship stores and demanding the athletic wear behemoth end its use of … Read more
Every year, kangaroos die in vast numbers because of Nike. That’s the inescapable conclusion of an investigation by the Center for a Humane Economy (“the Center”) into the soccer cleat trade. And it’s the precise reason last year the Center announced its “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” (KANS) campaign. Nike still doesn’t appreciate why killing two … Read more
Nike drives the killing of kangaroos in the Australian Outback to make soccer cleats. But why? At the European Football (soccer) Championships that Italy won a week ago, kangaroo skin shoes tightly swathed the feet of a healthy number of elite players. But from our analysis, conducted with partner groups in Europe, it’s clear the … Read more
Leaders of New Jersey Senate introduce legislation to ban sale of kangaroo parts, while animal welfare groups in EU promote parallel legislation to federal Kangaroo Protection Act Washington, D.C. – Nike has not made any public declarations about its use of kangaroo skins in some athletic shoe models, despite mounting pressure on the company to … Read more
Senators Kean and Weinberg introduce legislation to stop sale of soccer cleats made from kangaroo skins by Nike, Adidas (TRENTON, NJ) – Veteran state senators are seeking to make the Garden State the second state in the nation to ban the trade in kangaroo skins for soccer shoes or cleats, and other purposes. Commercial shooters … Read more
We knew of the remarkable career of the Australian poet, essay, and novelist David Brooks, but only met him after Animal Wellness Action’s sister organization, the Center for a Humane Economy, launched its “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” campaign. He and Jeffrey Masson, also a best-selling author, based in Australia, wrote an essay about the commercial … Read more
Press Release PERTH, AUSTRALIA – Jennifer Skiff, a world-renowned author and director of international programs for Animal Wellness Action (AWA) and the Center for a Humane Economy (CHE) and her Happy Kangaroo team mates, Stuart Gordon, Carly Lambert, and Michael Berry dove into the Indian Ocean this week, competing in one of the most extreme … Read more