Adidas Announces End to Sourcing Kangaroo Skins for Athletic Shoes

Wayne Pacelle of the Center for a Humane Economy makes case for action at Annual Shareholder Meeting, and adidas CEO announced a permanent exit from the trade

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After an in-person plea by the Center for a Humane Economy president Wayne Pacelle to adidas’s leadership to halt sourcing of kangaroo skins, the athletic shoe giant’s CEO, Bjørn Gulden, announced that the company has exited the kangaroo skin trade some months ago and will not resume any purchases of kangaroo skins. Pacelle traveled to Fürth, Germany to present his case at the Annual General Meeting for the athletic shoe giant.

The announcement completes the run of new policies against kangaroo killing, driven by the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, by the Center for a Humane Economy – with Diadora, Puma, Nike, New Balance, and now adidas announcing policies to halt sourcing of skins from the marsupials killed in night-time massacres of adults that also orphan the joeys. The U.K.-based Sokito also announced last year and end to sourcing of kangaroo skins.

Pacelle was accompanied by two German advocates at today’s Annual General Meeting— Milla Widmer of Munich and Vanessa Hagler of Fürth.

"The mass killing of kangaroos has been driven by exports mainly for kangaroo skins,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action. “With adidas exiting the trade, we have shut down sourcing of skins by the world’s top five athletic shoe brands. We now will redouble our efforts to secure similar pledges from Japanese companies ASICS and Mizuno and end this trade once and for all.”

Jennifer Skiff, director of international programs for the Center for a Humane Economy, and before her Mitchell Fox, were leading the campaign for the Center for a Humane Economy, with Donny Moss of Their Turn, SPCA International, Australia’s Animal Justice Party, and so many other determined advocates and mission-aligned organizations battling to raise awareness about the world’s largest mammalian slaughter of native wildlife.

“Adidas’ decision marks a historic milestone in animal protection and corporate responsibility,” said Jennifer Skiff. “This sends a clear message: compassion is not a compromise. Cruelty has no place in commerce.”

Each year, millions of kangaroos are shot at night in Australia—leaving hundreds of thousands of joeys orphaned, bludgeoned, or left to die. Since the launch of the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign in 2020, the Center for a Humane Economy has led investigations, protests, litigation, and international coalition-building to expose the brutal commercial slaughter of kangaroos in Australia. The kill has already dropped from 2 million to 1.3 million, and as these policies go into effect, that kill, driven by foreign demand for kangaroo parts, will decline.

"Adidas has been the most important supporter of the Australian kangaroo kill for years,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. “Its exit from this trade is thrilling news.”

“This win belongs to every advocate who stood outside a store, signed a petition, or raised their voice,” said Donny Moss of TheirTurn, which led dozens of in-store protests against adidas. “Together, we are saving millions of animals.”

"Adidas’ decision is a monumental step toward dismantling the commercial kangaroo industry that has decimated Australia’s iconic wildlife for decades,” said Louise Ward, International Kangaroo Protection Alliance (IKPA). “This victory proves what’s possible when international advocacy unites with grassroots activism. The Center for a Humane Economy’s leadership has been instrumental in driving awareness, shifting industry norms, and protecting vulnerable joeys and their mothers from unconscionable cruelty."

"The brutal commercial slaughter of kangaroos has operated in the shadows for too long,” said Emma Hurst, Member of Parliament, Animal Justice Party, Australia. “Adidas joining its competitors in ending the use of kangaroo leather is not only a win for animals—it’s a win for transparency, ethics, and global consumer expectations. Australians and animal lovers worldwide owe a great deal to the relentless work of the Center for a Humane Economy and the global coalition that made this possible."

As adidas walks away from kangaroo leather, the Center for a Humane Economy vows to continue pushing for laws and corporate practices that replace cruelty with compassion, proving again that helping animals helps us all.

Wayne Pacelle
Animal Wellness Action
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