Annual shareholder meeting to occur on May 15th in Fürth
FÜRTH, Germany — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, will attend the adidas Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 15, in Fürth, Germany, to address the company’s continued use of kangaroo leather in its footwear lines. Pacelle will call on adidas leadership to eliminate any sourcing of kangaroo skins. Major competitors, including Puma, Nike, and New Balance, have issued new policies against kangaroo killing for shoes and opted for the use of alternative and sustainable fabrics.
In a recent letter sent to adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden, the Center for a Humane Economy praised his work at Puma to drop kangaroo skins. The Center for a Humane Economy also cited disturbing new footage from the Australian outback showing graphic cruelty to kangaroos and their joeys — a practice in direct conflict with adidas’ own sourcing standards.
The Center for a Humane Economy launched the “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” campaign five years ago, with the goal of getting sportswear companies to stop using kangaroo parts for the uppers in soccer cleats a sourcing practice that collectively drives the largest annual kill of terrestrial wildlife in the world. Since then, major brands — Nike, Puma, New Balance, Diadora and SOKITO — have pledged to cleanse their supply chains of kangaroo skins. Adidas has reduced the number of shoe models made from kangaroos, but the company has stubbornly refused to eliminate the use of kangaroo parts derived from night-time shoots that leave adults injured and dead and their joeys orphaned and doomed.
“It is impossible for commercial shooters not to orphan joeys during their night-time massacres of adult kangaroos,” said Pacelle.” Adidas has been a dogged promoter of kangaroo-skin sourcing for decades, and it’s time for the company to divorce itself from this monstrously cruel trade. Alternative and sustainable fabrics abound, and adidas is already using them in so many of its shoe models. There’s just no excuse for continuing this sourcing practice.”
“Adidas cannot claim to stand for ethical sourcing while fueling a trade defined by cruelty and secrecy,” added Jennifer Skiff, director of international programs at the Center for a Humane Economy. “The kill directly violates adidas’s own animal welfare policy, which promises humane, ethical, and sustainable sourcing. It’s time for adidas to align policies with practices and publicly announce an end to kangaroo leather in shoes.”
Wayne Pacelle will be in Germany and available to speak with the media before and after the meeting. Please call Lindsey von Busch at (732) 284-9089, lindsey@centerforahumaneeconomy.org to schedule interviews.
WHAT:
Wayne Pacelle to attend adidas Annual General Meeting to advocate for ending the company’s use of kangaroo leather.
WHEN:
Thursday, May 15, 2025
WHERE:
The Stadthalle Fürth, Rosenstrasse 50 in Fürth/Bavaria, Germany.