Umbro Agrees to Halt Use of Kangaroo Skins, as U.S. Senate Takes Up Issue

U.S. Senators Duckworth and Booker, seeing momentum, introduce Kangaroo Protection Act to halt any imports or domestic trade in kangaroo parts

By Wayne Pacelle

I’ve alerted you to a drumbeat of announcements from major global athletic wear brands severing ties to the kangaroo-killing industry in Australia.

Yet one more announcement may seem dull, or more of the same. But it’s neither. Each of these announcements gets us closer to our goal of shutting down foreign markets for the commercial kangaroo shooting industry in Australia.

And today’s news is a major moment. In a news release yesterday, we announced that United Kingdom-based soccer shoe seller Umbro will end its sourcing of kangaroo skins by fall 2026. Selling to soccer lovers in more than 100 countries, and with major contracts with big-name soccer teams, Umbro was the last of the global brands to get on board with our Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign. But a declaration we welcome and celebrate.

With that decision, our Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign has run the table among major athletic wear global brands. Every one of the world’s leading soccer shoe manufacturers — Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Mizuno, ASICS, Diadora, Sokito, and now Umbro — has committed to kangaroo-free shoes.

These global brands, which sell to hundreds of millions of consumers across 200 nations, have been the engine behind the largest commercial slaughter of land-based wildlife on Earth — the annual killing of more than 1.3 million wild kangaroos in Australia, many of them mothers with joeys, who are left orphaned and helpless. These animals are gunned down in the dark and turned into cleats, almost all for export.

Credit belongs to you and everyone who supported our campaign, including so many partner organizations, including Their Turn, SPCA International, Australia’s Animal Justice Party and so many others.

While it’s a moment to celebrate, there’s still much more work to be done. And we are getting right onto that work.

U.S. Senators introduce Kangaroo Protection Act, in wake of Umbro decision

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act — a companion bill to H.R. 1992, led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

With the momentum from the rapid-fire set of announcements from the athletic wear companies across North America and Europe, we now have a very real political opportunity to ban the import and sale of any kangaroo products in the United States.

“The mass killing of millions of kangaroos to make commercial products is needless and inhumane,” said Senator Duckworth. “While it is encouraging that more and more cleat manufacturers are pledging to stop using k-leather, the U.S. must stop incentivizing this cruel practice once and for all. I’m proud to reintroduce this bill with Senator Booker that would help prevent the deadly exploitation of kangaroos and promote the use of more humane alternatives to k-leather.”

“We should not allow the unnecessary killing of animals just so that big corporations can maximize profits,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation will help conserve the kangaroo species by ensuring that no one in the United States can distribute kangaroo products for commercial gain.”

Now we need you to take immediate action: Please contact your Senators and your U.S. Representative today and urge them to support the Kangaroo Protection Act.

The Progress of the “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” Campaign Is Breathtaking

When we launched this campaign in 2020, we confronted an athletic wear sector where all major brands were using kangaroo skins. And we also knew that these companies swatted away critics who wanted them to stop financing the killing of kangaroos by buying up skins for shoes.

Brands like Adidas defended their use of kangaroo skins and even sued to overturn the law in the lone state – California – that forbade any sale of kangaroo parts. Mizuno alone sold 25 models made with kangaroo leather. Nike, New Balance, ASICS, Diadora, and others were all drawing product from the nighttime shoots in Australia. These were companies posting messages about “sustainability” while participating in one of the most inhumane sourcing practices in the consumer world.

With your help, we turned this around and we made our case:

• That joeys are orphaned and killed when their mothers are shot for sport cleats;
• That companies already had animal-free materials in their high-performing shoes and just need to expand those offerings and get rid of the kangaroo skins;
• That kangaroos have lived on the Australian continent for 15 million years and are uniquely adapted to the diverse landscapes there.

Today, companies that once dismissed our concerns have now embraced them. We’ve changed the sourcing practices for companies annually, posting tens of billions in sales. Now, we must change U.S. law.

Without congressional action, we may still see the kangaroo-killing industry push pet food, handbags, boots, gloves, and other products made from kangaroos. The Kangaroo Protection Act can put a stop to all of that.

Let’s be energized by the progress we’ve made and work toward a comprehensive closure of the massive U.S. market for the kangaroo parts trade.

Please donate now to help us finish this fight in the halls of Congress and take this campaign to the next stage.

With deep thanks for your compassion and commitment,

Wayne Pacelle President Center for a Humane Economy