Advocates for kangaroos are celebrating after another two major brands have opted out of using kangaroo skins in the products.
adidas chief executive Bjørn Gulden announced at the company’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday 15 May that the company had halted purchasing kangaroo skins in previous months and would not be resuming the purchase of kangaroo products.
President of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action Wayne Pacelle attended the adidas AGM and said the mass killing of kangaroos has been driven by exports mainly for kangaroo skins.
“With adidas exiting the trade, we have shut down sourcing of skins by the world’s top five athletic shoe brands,” he said.
“adidas has been the most important supporter of the Australian kangaroo kill for years, its exit from this trade is thrilling news,”
“We now will redouble our efforts to secure similar pledges from Japanese companies ASICS and Mizuno and end this trade once and for all”
Less than a week later, the Center for a Humane Economy received confirmation via email on Tuesday 20 May from Asics that the major Japan-based brand would be phasing out the use of kangaroo leather by the end of the year.
“With the rapid-fire announcements from ASICS and adidas, we’re witnessing the dismantling of a supply chain built on bloodshed and the orphaning of kangaroo joeys,” Mr Pacelle said.
“The foreign markets for kangaroo skins are collapsing, and that can only mean good news for the iconic marsupials of Australia.”
Nike, Puma, New Balance, Diadora and Sokito have all previously announced they had ended using kangaroo leather in their products, with the focus now on persuading Mizuno to halt the use of kangaroo products in their athletic shoes.
Founder of the Victorian Kangaroo Alliance (which started in the Yarra Ranges) Alyssa Wormald said it has been an absolutely exhilarating week.
“It means a lot to see more big brands walking away from this cruel, unsustainable and dangerous wildlife trade, we have been targeting adidas for years as part of a dedicated global campaign involving many organisations, so that victory was incredibly significant,” she said.
“Having ASICS follow just a few days later was the cherry on top, it is definitely a morale boost, and testament to the power of collective action.”
The Center for a Humane Economy launched the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign in 2020 and has since conducted investigations, litigation, protests and promoted awareness of the kangaroo trade worldwide.
Ms Wormald said they know the reduced demand for kangaroo products is hitting the kangaroo industry hard, very few processors are buying carcasses, so shooters are packing it in and there is no incentive for new shooters to get involved.
“Contrary to the popular belief that ‘the skins will be wasted’ if they aren’t turned into leather, the reality is that this is a profit-driven industry and the skins are lucrative co-product, not a by-product, without which the kangaroo trade would likely not be viable,” she said.
“We also know that the commercial incentive massively increases the number of kangaroos being targeted, for example, average quotas in Victoria are 3.5 times higher since kangaroo shooting was commercialised so a reduction in demand does translate to a reduction in killing, even if it cannot be eliminated altogether at this stage,”
“Ultimately, we hope the kangaroo industry will cease entirely, and the removal of mass slaughter and exploitation as an option will compel the government to develop and implement much-needed wildlife coexistence strategies.”
You can find out more about the campaign at KangaroosAreNotShoes.org.
Ms Wormald said their goal is to end the entire commercial industry and move towards a world where kangaroos are justly respected and protected.
“As it stands, there are a huge number of brands and suppliers that we would like to see divest from the kangaroo wildlife trade, we will join the Kangaroos are not Shoes campaign in targeting Mizuno, and we will continue our efforts to lobby companies selling kangaroo meat, skins, and body parts,” she said.
“We would love to see big Australian companies show corporate responsibility and stop selling kangaroo products, like Woolworths Group, Coles, IGA, Petbarn, Petstock, Mars Petcare, and Rebel Sport,”
“Our leadership needs to see the writing on the wall, the kangaroo industry is dying, and they need to condemn this grim wildlife trade to the dustbin of history and start committing to innovative wildlife coexistence solutions.”
