They are unique to Australia, listed as a “protected species”, and no accurate data exists for how many there are. Still, every night, kangaroos are being shot and their joeys decapitated, bludgeoned or left to die slowly. Why? So kangaroos can be turned into sports shoes.

The commercial slaughter of kangaroos is the largest commercial killing of land-based wildlife on the planet. The body parts of millions of kangaroos are used each year for meat products and for ‘leather’ products sold by brands including Adidas … a brand that uses a “sustainability promise” to underpin its ethos.

Kangaroos are not ‘material’, and there is no sustainable way to slaughter them by the millions.

Recently, global sporting brands Nike, Puma, and New Balance announced a shift away from kangaroo ‘leather’ to kinder alternatives. Even investors are walking away from Adidas because of its involvement with this cruel wildlife trade.

Yet Adidas continues to make shoes out of native Australian wildlife, while touting sustainability for a beautiful planet. 

Adidas claims the brand is aligned with “the pursuit of better”, including within material innovation. This is contradicted by the use of kangaroo skin in their range; not only is it extremely cruel, but there are also serious concerns that kangaroo numbers are grossly overestimated, as the counting methods used to determine kangaroo populations and permitted ‘kill counts’ have come under fire for lacking transparency.

The “harvesting” of kangaroos is, in reality, a brutal slaughter. And it happens in remote locations, far from the public eye, meaning there is no effective monitoring of animal welfare.

Kangaroos form strong and complex family bonds, and these gentle families are being ripped apart after the sun goes down across their homeland. Close-knit mobs of kangaroos are chased down by commercial shooters with bright lights and guns. Those unable to flee have their bodies strung up in the back of trucks. Their joeys, considered ‘useless’, are decapitated or bludgeoned to death. Some joeys who are grown-up enough to hop away, escape only to starve or be killed by predators without the protection of their mum.

Of the millions of native kangaroos who are shot and killed every year, it’s unknown how many more escape wounded, only to endure a long and painful death.

The Australian Federal Government allows for millions of kangaroos to be commercially slaughtered. The legal protections that usually apply to native wildlife are lifted in five Australian states (Queensland, New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC), Western Australia, and South Australia) so that kangaroos can be shot under commercial licences – for the sake of profit.

Even after the devastating Black Summer summer fires ravaged much of the country in 2019-20, the Australian Federal Government continued to permit the killing of millions of these iconic animals.

There is a ‘National Code of Practice’ that is meant to apply to kangaroo slaughter, but it is impossible to effectively enforce given shooting occurs in remote areas at nighttime. This code also specifically allows for the decapitation and bludgeoning of joeys, which most people would consider far from humane.

The total kill quota for the commercial shooting industry across Australia last year was almost 4.5 million kangaroos, and that’s not even including joeys killed who are considered collateral damage when their mothers are shot.^[1]

This number is scary enough, but they are even more concerning when the counting methods used to determine kangaroo populations lack transparency. As highlighted in the eye-opening documentary ‘Kangaroo: A Love-Hate Story’, there are fears that official estimates of kangaroo numbers could be hugely inflated.

Kangaroos are being killed by the millions without reliable population counts – purely for money – fuelled by the international trade in kangaroo leather and meat products. So, while Adidas claims it’s focussing on sustainability, it must desperately address the largest land-based wildlife slaughter in the world.

Thankfully, there are kinder, more sustainable ways to make shoes and accessories – and brands and governments are slowly taking notice. Global brands including Nike, Puma and New Balance have started shifting away from kangaroo ‘leather’ in their product ranges, opting for more sustainable and ethical non-animal leathers. In the US, a growing number of states are introducing legislation to ban the import and sale of kangaroo parts in their states, and in the EU, a ban on imports is also being debated.

You can take action for kangaroos today

Most people worldwide are unaware of how kangaroos are treated every night across Australia because of profit-driven industries. But protecting these precious native animals is undoubtedly of great importance to caring people everywhere, as demonstrated by the outpour of donations and support during the Black Summer bushfires.

To ensure kangaroos continue to be a part of beautiful Australia, they need our help not only in times of disaster, but also right now to speak out against the atrocities they face every single night. The Australian commercial kangaroo shooting is under increasing scrutiny as consumers learn how kangaroos and their joeys are killed, and caring people worldwide are uniting to urge ADIDAS to stop shooting protected wildlife to make their shoes. Can you please help too by using the form below to contact Adidas?

REFERENCES

1. Macropod quotas and harvest for commercial harvest areas in NSW, QLD, SA, VIC and WA. (2022). [online] https://www.dcceew.gov.au/. Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/kangaroo-statistics-states-2022.pdf [Accessed 1 Dec. 2023]