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Sportswear giants Nike and PUMA have announced that they will no longer produce soccer boots made with kangaroo leather. PUMA made an official statement on March 2nd, with Nike releasing their own statement soon after.
Nike disclosed the update to Footwear News in an email saying:
This summer, Nike will launch a new boot innovation in its Tiempo franchise. The Tiempo Legend Elite will debut with a new Nike-only, proprietary synthetic upper.
The upper has a new material that is a better performance solution and replaces the use of kangaroo leather.
In addition, the Tiempo Premier, also set to launch this summer, will move away from the use of kangaroo leather.
Nike divested of its only kangaroo leather supplier in 2021 and will stop making any product with kangaroo leather in 2023.
Nike
At the beginning of 2023, a bill passed in Oregon that prohibits the sale of any kangaroo parts or kangaroo-based products. Considering that Nike’s headquarters are based in Beaverton, Oregon, the new mandate may be a key factor as why the Swoosh decided to terminate the use of kangaroo leather.
For years, Kangaroo leather has been a common material for soccer boots. A range of brands and silhouettes use K-leather including the Nike Tiempo 9 Elite, adidas Predator Pulse, and Puma KING lines.
PUMA’s plan of action to move away from kangaroo leather includes the introduction of the new “K-BETTER” textile, which is made from non-animal based upper materials with at least 20% recycled fabrics. The “K-BETTER” textile will debut on PUMA’s KING soccer boot series.
Kangaroo leather has advantages over its animal kingdom counterparts as K-leather is known to be lighter, stronger, and more flexible than cow and goat hide. Because of this, kangaroo leather is typically used for sports shoes and gloves, rather than other leather goods.
The world-famous marsupial superstars are recognized as a symbol of Australia, as well as for their unique tails, pouches, and ability to hop. Kangaroos greatly outnumber the population of Australia, as there approximately 43 million kangaroos to 26 million humans.
With major brands like Nike and PUMA no longer in the market for kangaroo leather, the imminent effects are sure to be sizeable for both the K-leather industry and kangaroo population alike.
Throughout Australia, kangaroos are considered a pest species and the Australian government has sanctioned commercial harvests to limit the population growth since 1999. Australia regularly deals with controversy as the country is the largest land-based commercial slaughter of wildlife in the world.
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