Nike vows to stop making football boots with kangaroo leather after campaign backed by celebrities
Nike vows to stop making football boots with kangaroo leather – which David Beckham ditched in 2006 – after a campaign backed by Ricky Gervais and Woody Harrelson
- Nike has joined other football boot manufacturers in ditching kangaroo leather
- It is known that in 2006 David Beckham stopped wearing boots made with kangaroo
David Beckham gave them the famous boot in 2006 after activists sent him graphic images of animals being slaughtered for his shoes.
And now the premium kangaroo leather football boots ditched by the former England captain and made by the likes of Nike, Adidas and Puma are soon to be red-carded after pressure from animal rights activists, celebrities and a crackdown in the US.
It comes after Nike announced last week that it would end the use of kangaroo skins in all of its products by the end of the year.
The US giant ended its partnership with its sole supplier of kangaroo leather in 2021.
The company said its famous Tiempo football boot range – reportedly worn by England midfielder Jordan Henderson and Liverpool and Dutch central defender Virgil – will be made with a synthetic fabric in the future.
Nike announced last week that it would end the use of kangaroo skins in all of its products by the end of the year
David Beckham wore football boots made from kangaroo leather until 2006, when he swapped them for synthetic boots after activists sent him graphic images of animals being slaughtered (pictured in 2005)
Nike’s German rival Puma made a similar commitment earlier this year.
Luxury fashion houses such as Gucci, Chanel and Prada, but also British brands such as Paul Smith and Victoria Beckham have previously rejected kangaroo leather.
The announcement by the sports giants was welcomed by animal rights activists, with Wayne Pacelle of the Center for a Humane Economy hailing it as “a seismic event in wildlife conservation.”
The group spearheaded the ‘Kangaroos Are Not Shoes’ campaign, which was launched in 2020 and went viral online following support from celebrities such as Ricky Gervais and Woody Harrelson.
Previously, the most expensive football boots were made from kangaroo leather, which is lighter, more durable and more flexible than cow leather.
Now, most football boots made by Nike and its rivals are made of synthetic material, but some like Nike’s Tiempo Legend 9 Elite boot and Puma’s KING Platinum 21 Rallye boot have kangaroo leather.
The US state of Oregon, where Nike is headquartered, introduced a bill in January that, if passed, would ban the sale of “any part of a dead kangaroo.”
Leather manufacturers and industry leaders have criticized the decision by football boot manufacturers, claiming there has been a ‘misinformation campaign’ about kangaroo leather being distributed abroad (stock image)
Also, only seven of the 60 species of kangaroos and wallabies have been approved for harvest. These species are not on the endangered or rare list (stock image)
As of 2006, Beckham only played and promoted football boots made without kangaroo leather
California is currently the only other US state to ban the sale of kangaroo-based products.
But there has been some criticism of the move in Australia, where kangaroos are widely regarded as a nuisance.
Australian leather manufacturers say they have fallen victim to an international ‘disinformation campaign’ about k-leather that threatens the lucrative industry.
Some ecologists say banning the trade of kangaroo products due to overpopulation would cause more harm to kangaroos.