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As part of a global “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” Campaign, animal rights activists in New York City disrupted a launch party hosted by Major League Soccer (MLS) at the Adidas flagship store. During the protest, the activists called on the Chairman of the Board of Adidas, Thomas Rabe, to join Nike, Puma and New Balance in making the switch from “k-leather” to cruelty-free materials.

The Center for a Humane Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, launched the #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign in 2021 in an effort to protect kangaroos from the egregious abuses associated with commercial kangaroo skin trade and to curb the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife on the planet. In 2023, the Center and its partner organization, Animal Wellness Action, turned their attention to Adidas, the largest of the few remaining companies that produce soccer cleats using kangaroo skin.

In 2021, the Center for a Humane Economy launched the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign to compel sportswear companies to stop using kangaroo skin in their soccer cleats

In a “Standards on Animal-derived Materials” statement on its website, Adidas claims to source skin from animals who are “free from fear, distress, pain and injury,” and Adidas executives, including the company’s sustainability chief Frank Henke, use that statement to defend the company’s continued support of the commercial kangaroo hunt.

Adidas claims that the animals whose skin they use are “free from physical discomfort, pain and injury”

Representatives from Australia’s Animal Justice Party, which closely monitors the kangaroo hunt, dispute these “false” claims. In a letter to the board chairman Thomas Rabe, Louise Ward, the New South Wales State Director, wrote:

Excerpt from a letter from the Animal Justice Party to Thomas Rabe, the Chairman of the Board of Adidas

In addition to serving as the Chairman of the Board of Adidas, Thomas Rabe is the CEO of Bertelsmann, a global media empire that owns the publisher Penguin Random House; the music producer BMG; and the RTL Group, an entertainment company with dozens of media outlets. Rabe has not responded to letters in which the Center for a Humane Economy and the Animal Justice Party ask him for a meeting to discuss the use of kangaroo skin and Adidas’s claims made about how it’s sourced.

Animal protection groups are calling on Thomas Rabe, the Chairman of the Board of Adidas, to stop using kangaroo skin. Rabe is the CEO of the global media giant Bertelsmann

The commercial kangaroo skin trade orphans an estimated 300,000 joeys each year. Government code mandates that hunters bludgeon or decapitate the joeys, who cannot survive without their mothers. Those who do escape die of predation, exposure or hunger.

Chasing down and slaughtering wild kangaroos (and their babies) to steal their skin for #adidasfootball cleats is inhumane, yet @adidas Supervisory Board Chair, #bertelsmann CEO @ThomasRabe, refuses to join Nike, Puma and New Balance in switching to #crueltyfree materials. pic.twitter.com/oPdCxDZyBU

— Animal Rights News (@theirturn) January 25, 2024

Activist groups in Australia, Europe, Canada and the United States have been protesting Adidas for the past year. Several have decided to escalate the campaign by protest Thomas Rabe at Bertelsmann offices in the U.S. and Germany.

Emma Hurst, a member of Parliament in Australia, addresses activists participating in a #KangaroosAreNotShoes protest at Adidas in Sydney

In February, 2024, TheirTurn launched a campaign calling on Thomas Rabe to make the switch from kangaroo skin to cruelty-free materials. To date, 173 people have sent a total of 2,453 emails to Rabe and his colleagues at Adidas and Bertelsmann.

Petition calling on Thomas Rabe, the Chairman of the Board of Adidas, to replace kangaroo skin with cruelty-free materials

As part of the global “Kangaroos are Not Shoes” campaign led by The Center for a Humane Economy, over 20 animal rights activists disrupted business inside of a Dick’s Sporting Goods, the country’s largest retail distributor of kangaroo-leather shoes.  While inside the store, the activists called shoppers’ attention to the “k-leather” soccer cleats on display and staged a die-in in the footwear department. After approximately 15 minutes, NYPD officers removed the protesters from the store. The protest continued on the sidewalk out front, where the activists educated Dick’s customers about k-leather and the large-scale commercial slaughter of wild kangaroos.

“Dick’s Sporting Goods claims to be ‘responsible stewards of the planet’, but trafficking in wildlife parts after fires wiped out hundreds of millions of Australian animals is the epitome of irresponsibility and greed,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of The Center for a Humane Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. “Dick’s should join Nike and Puma in pledging to stop selling products made from kangaroo skin.”

Animal rights activists in NYC disrupt business inside of a Dick’s Sporting Goods store over the company’s refusal to stop selling kangaroo skin soccer cleats.

The protest at Dick’s took place just days after Hollywood actor James Cromwell staged a similar protest inside of an Adidas store in Soho, an upscale shopping district in Manhattan. As shoppers took out their mobile phone to record Cromwell, the Babe and Succession star urged them to make kinder choices, “Kangaroos are not shoes; they’re animals,” he said before chanting “Just Stop the Slaughter” while exiting the store with other animal rights activists.

Actor @jamesocromwell protests inside of @adidas to call on the sportswear giant to stop killing kangaroos to make soccer cleats. #kangaroosarenotshoes #crueltyfree #AnimalRights

cc: @VVFriedman @THR @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/zAzI3VSZho

— Animal Rights News (@theirturn) September 8, 2023

Commercial hunters hired by soccer cleat manufacturers, like Adidas, kill approximately two million kangaroos each year, though that number will decline now that Nike and Puma have pledged to replace kangaroo leather with cruelty-free materials. The Center for a Humane Economy describes the kangaroo hunt as “the largest commercial slaughter of land-based mammals on the planet.” An estimated 40% of kangaroos are shot in the neck or body instead of the head, which often wounds the kangaroos instead of instantly killing them. Those who escape the hunters die slowly from their gunshot wounds or starvation. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods is the nation’s largest retail distributor of kangaroo skin soccer cleats

Some of the females who are shot have babies, or joeys, in their pouches or by their sides. Government guidelines dictate that hunters either decapitate or bludgeon the joeys to death. The joeys who are not in their mother’s pouch and escape from the hunters die from exposure and predation. Joeys have been documented returning to the site where their mothers are killed and standing next to the body parts that the hunters left behind. Each year, an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 joeys fall victim to the nightly kangaroo hunt.

Animal rights groups in Australia, which are especially protective of their native kangaroos, have staged kangaroo leather protests in several cities across the country. In recent months, European advocacy groups have also begun protesting kangaroo leather at an Adidas store in Germany, where the company is based.

Emma Hurst, a Member of Australia’s Parliament, speaks to advocates during a kangaroo leather protest.

“Chasing down terrified kangaroos in the dark of night and stealing their skin to make soccer cleats is among the worst wildlife crimes on the planet,” said Edita Birnkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, a NYC-based animal rights organization. “Dick’s knows that the shoes on their shelves are a product of extreme cruelty and is prioritizing profits ahead of decency.”

Animal rights activist protest inside of a Dick’s Sporting Goods in NYC over the company’s refusal to stop selling kangaroo skin soccer cleats.

In 2023, U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban the sale of any kangaroo parts. If passed, the Kangaroo Protection Act would close off one of the world’s largest markets for kangaroo parts and dramatically curb the commercial slaughter of kangaroos.

Approximately thirty animal rights disrupted business inside of Adidas’s flagship store in New York City as part of a global effort to compel the sportswear giant to stop using kangaroo skin in its soccer cleats. The protest was organized by the animal rights groups NYCLASS and TheirTurn with the support of The Center for A Humane Economy, a Washington-D.C.-based animal welfare organization running a global campaign to compel sneaker manufacturers to replace “k-leather” with cruelty-free materials.

Holding posters and chanting “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes, Just Stop The Slaughter,” the protesters marched throughout the store’s three floors, stopping twice to deliver speak outs about the cruelty associated with the kangaroo hunt. When the police arrived after 25 minutes, the activists left the store and staged a moving picket on the sidewalk while distributing information. Dozens of curious pedestrians, including Adidas customers, said they were shocked and outraged to learn that Adidas uses kangaroo skin in its soccer cleats.

Animal rights activists with the NYCLASS, TheirTurn and the Center for a Humane Economy protest Adidas over the company’s use of kangaroo skin in its soccer cleats

“Adidas claims to source its animal skins humanely, but chasing down terrified kangaroos in the dark of night and shooting them in the head are acts of extreme cruelty,” said Edita Birnkrant, the Executive Director of NYCLASS. “Adidas needs to do the right thing by joining Nike and Puma in replacing kangaroo skin with cruelty-free materials.”

Animal rights activists are calling on Adidas to join Nike and Puma in replacing the kangaroo skin used in its soccer cleats with cruelty-free materials

Commercial hunters hired by companies like Adidas kill approximately two million kangaroos each year. It’s the largest commercial slaughter of land-based mammals on the planet. according to the Center for a Humane Economy. An estimated 40% of kangaroos are shot in the neck or body instead of the head, which often wounds the kangaroos instead of instantly killing them. Those who escape the hunters die slowly from their gunshot wounds. 

Some of the females who are shot have babies (joeys) in their pouches or by their sides. Code dictates that hunters either decapitate or bludgeon them to death. The joeys who are not in their mother’s pouch die from exposure and predation. Each year, an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 joeys fall victim to the nightly kangaroo hunt.

Adidas hires commercial hunters in Australia to kill kangaroos for their skin, which the company uses to make soccer cleats

“When Adidas peels the skin off of the bodies of the kangaroos who they kill, they are engaging in theft,” said Jamie Logan. U.S. Campaign Manager of Generation Vegan. “The kangaroos don’t belong to Adidas, and the skin is not theirs to take.”

The May 31st protest at Adidas took place two months after Nike and Puma announced that they would discontinue their use of “k-leather” and replace it with cruelty-free materials by the end of 2023.

“Adidas has become an outlier in the athletic shoe industry by continuing to source kangaroo parts even though other fabrics can be used for high-performance shoes,” noted Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. “We are so grateful to TheirTurn for so boldly raising awareness of this form of cruelty to wildlife and demanding that Adidas do better.”

In March 2023, Nike and Puma announced that they would stop using kangaroo skin by the end of 2023

Animal rights groups in Australia, which are especially protective of their native kangaroos, staged their first protest against Adidas on May 7th in Melbourne. The activists in New York say they will continue to protest at Adidas until the company announces a kangaroo-free policy.

A coalition of animal advocacy groups in Australia staged a protest at the Adidas store in Melbourne (May 7, 2023)

To learn more about the campaign to end the use of kangaroo skin, please visit Visit KangaroosAreNotShoes.org.

The Center for a Humane Economy’s KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign website

Accompanied by a giant mobile billboard, several hundred animal rights activists descended upon the Nike store in Soho to protest the company’s use of kangaroo skin in its soccer shoes. It was the fourth and largest protest staged in New York City as part of the Center for a Humane Economy’s global #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign. During two of the previous protests, activists disrupted business inside of the store, but NYPD officers and Nike security guards blocked the entrance as the activists who were participating in the 2022 Animal Rights March arrived at the store.

“Nike’s dirty little secret is that its commercial hunters chase down hundreds of thousands of kangaroos in the dark of night, shoot them in the head and steal their skin to make soccer shoes,” said Donny Moss of TheirTurn, an organizer of the NYC protest. “Instead of massacring innocent animals and using their skin as fabric, Nike should make the obvious switch to cruelty-free materials.”

A mobile billboard in NYC displays video footage of commercial hunters in Australia shooting wild kangaroos for companies like Nike that use the animals’ skin to make soccer shoes

The protest comes two weeks after the Los Angeles Times published an editorial calling on the California state government to enforce the law banning the sale of “k-leather” and encouraging consumers not to buy the contraband. “There are plenty of quality soccer shoes in material that doesn’t require killing kangaroos.” California is the only U.S. state to ban the sale of kangaroo products, including skin, but The Kangaroo Protection Act, federal legislation introduced in 2021, would ban the importation of kangaroo products into the entire country.

The Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times called on the state government to enforce the law banning the sale of kangaroo parts

The massacre of kangaroos in Australia represents the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife in the world. According to the Center for a Humane Economy, 70% of the approximately two million kangaroos killed each year for commercial purposes are used to make soccer shoes for sportswear companies like Nike.

During the 2022 Animal Rights March, hundreds of activists in New York City descended upon the Nike store in Soho to protest the company’s use of kangaroo leather. (photo: Lori Hillsberg)

Some of the female kangaroos who are shot have babies (joeys) in their pouches or by their side. Code dictates that hunters either decapitate or bludgeon to death the joeys who are in the pouches. The joeys who are not in their mother’s pouch often die slowly from exposure and predation. Each year, an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 joeys die during the nightly kangaroo hunt.

Commercial hunters shoot and kill kangaroo mothers for Nike and other companies decapitate or bludgeon to death the joeys in their pouches

Animal rights activists in Los Angeles, Portland, where Nike is headquartered, and several Australian cities have also staged protests inside and outside of Nike stores.

Animal rights activists with Los Angeles for Animals stage an anti-kangaroo skin protest at Nike’s Santa Monica store (photo: Cory Mac)

Several retailers, including Nordstrom, Gucci, Prada, and Versace, have stopped selling kangaroo skin products. Animal rights activists plan to continue protesting Nike and other clothing and shoe manufacturers that use kangaroo leather, including Adidas and Puma, until they remove it from their inventory voluntarily or a nationwide ban.

The Center for a Humane Economy, which is leading the #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign, has a petition calling on Nike CEO John Donahoe to “stop profiting from the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife!”  Approximately 77,000 people have signed the petition to date.

Center for a Humane Economy petition calling on Nike CEO John Donahoe to stop slaughtering kangaroos for soccer shoes

Approximately 20 animal rights activists with NYCLASS and TheirTurn slipped past the four man security team at the entrance of Nike’s flagship store in New York City to protest the company’s ongoing use of kangaroo skin as a soccer shoe fabric. This was the third protest in New York since the Center for a Humane Economy launched the #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign to pressure Nike into replacing “K leather” with a cruelty-free alternative.  

“Shooting wild kangaroos in the head after chasing them down in the dark of night is an act of terror,” said Donny Moss of TheirTurn.net, a NYC-based animal rights group that co-organized the protest. “How do Nike executives sleep at night knowing that they inflict so much pain and suffering on the kangaroos whose skin they steal?”

Once inside Nike’s multi-story store, the activists captured the attention of hundreds of shoppers by displaying posters, chanting and conducting speak outs about the massacre. Fearing for their jobs, the security guards who were hired to prevent the activists from entering the building in the first place pled with them to leave.

The New York Daily News announced the kangaroo skin protest at Nike

“Instead of hiring extra security in an effort to prevent in-store protests, Nike should stop engaging in the behavior that causes them,” said Edita Birnkrant, the Executive Director of NYCLASS, a NYC-based animal rights group that co-organized the protest. “As long as Nike makes sneakers out of kangaroos, we will keep disrupting business. That’s the least we can do for Nike’s victims.”

Customers inside of Nike’s flagship store in NYC watch as protests demand that Nike discontinue the use of kangaroo skin in its soccer shoes

The massacre of kangaroos in Australia represents the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife in the world. According to the Center for a Humane Economy, 70% of the approximately two million kangaroos killed each year for commercial purposes are used to make soccer shoes for sportswear companies like Nike.

The Guardian selected an image from the kangaroo skin protest at the Nike flagship store in NYC as one of it’s “Photos of the Day”

The Australian National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes governs the industry and sanctions this cruelty. An estimated 40% of kangaroos are shot in the neck or body instead of the head, in violation of the federal code, resulting in wounding and non-instantaneous death. Those who escape die slowly from their gunshot wounds. 

Nike slaughters wild kangaroos to make soccer shoes out of their skin

Some of the females who are shot have babies (joeys) in their pouches or by their sides. Code dictates that hunters either decapitate or bludgeon to death the joeys who are in the pouches. The joeys who are not in their mother’s pouch often die slowly from exposure and predation. Each year, an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 joeys die during the nightly kangaroo hunt.

In Australia, hunters shoot wild kangaroos in the head, steal their skin and sell it to Nike, which uses it to make soccer shoes

The Center for a Humane Economy says that Nike rationalizes the mass slaughter of wild kangaroos by engaging in green washing and humane washing. According to Nike, “Suppliers must source animal skins from processors that use sound animal husbandry and humane animal treatment/slaughtering practices.” Activists say that hunting down wild animals who want to live in peace with their families is inherently inhumane.

After disrupting business inside of Nike’s flagship store in NYC, animal rights activists educated customers and pedestrians on Fifth Avenue about Nike’s massacre of kangaroos to make soccer shoes

The Kangaroo Protection Act, federal legislation introduced in 2021, would ban the importation of kangaroo products into the United States. Several retailers, including Nordstrom, Gucci, Prada, and Versace, have already stopped selling kangaroo skin products. The sale of kangaroo parts is banned in California.

New York City is one of many American and Australian cities participating in the global #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign.