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Nike will stop using kangaroo leather in its sporting shoes following increasing calls for a ban from animal welfare advocates.
The US-based company on Tuesday confirmed its leading Tiempo soccer shoes will now be made with a synthetic material, which is a "better performance solution" than kangaroo leather.
The leather will also be phased out across all Nike products by the end of the year, the company confirmed.
It comes after German brand Puma announced similar changes last week, noting the vegan synthetic material was better.
Animal welfare advocates have welcomed the move away from kangaroo leather, describing the killing of kangaroos as "inhumane slaughter".
"This is a big victory," Kangaroos Alive co-founder Mick McIntyre said in a statement.
"We hope this is the start of sustained good news for our kangaroos."
Australia's kangaroo population in 2022 was estimated to be more than 30 million.
The federal quota for culling and harvesting the native animal has been set at four million.
Global movement Kangaroos Alive has been calling on international companies to stop using kangaroo leather.
The US state of California banned kangaroo products in the 1970s, while Oregon and Connecticut are considering similar bans.
Oregon's bill would make it a crime to buy, receive, sell, or commercially exchange "any product containing a part of a dead kangaroo".
The measure could have big implications for Oregon-based Nike, which is the US state's largest employer.
"It's become a problem for businesses as consumers push back against the inhumane slaughter," Kangaroos Alive campaign manager Dennis Vink said.
"Big business is waking up to what consumers want and this is going in the right direction."
