Nike is making a move that will please consumers and animal rights activists alike.
The maker of athletic apparel has announced it will stop using kangaroo skins for its shoes this year, ending a controversial practice.
The move comes weeks after a similar decision from German rival Puma.
Nike said it will be using a proprietary synthetic material that replaces the use of kangaroo leather.
Kangaroos seen on the Department of Defence property in Belconnen, Canberra. (REUTERS/Stefan Postles (AUSTRALIA) / Reuters Photos)
In a statement issued on Monday, Nike will be using the material when it debuts a new line of Tiempo football boots, called the Tiempo Legend Elite.
The line is set to launch this summer.
The company ended its partnership with its only kangaroo leather supplier in 2021.
The decision from Nike and Puma to end the use of kangaroo skin in their football boots comes as a big win for animal welfare activists, who have urged companies to drop unethical practices involving animal cruelty.
The Nike Swoosh logo of the global sports, clothes and running shoes retailer. (iStock / iStock)
"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.
The Nike logo is displayed on a window at a Nike store in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The group is behind the campaign "Kangaroos Are Not Shoes," which it announced in 2020, and has been key instrumental to 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.
California has not allowed products made from kangaroos to be sold or imported into the state since 1971.
Reuters contributed to this report