A bill in the Oregon legislature has presented the banning the sale of kangaroo parts. Soccer cleats are one of the only products made from kangaroo leather. Took aim at sport apparel manufacturers that use leather from the animal to make their products. This would make an impact on Nike, which is based in Oregon and the state’s largest employer. Nike didn’t respond to OPB’s request for comment, but told ESPN last month that it uses kangaroo leather in small portions of its soccer shoes.

The Center for Humane Economy, Animal Wellness Action and the Animal Wellness Foundation welcomed the move.

Oregon’s bill would make it a crime to buy, sell, receive, or commercially exchange any kind of kangaroo product. Lawmakers in Connecticut have introduced a similar law. In the 1970s California enacted a ban on kangaroo-based products. A federal ban on kangaroo products was proposed in the US White House in 2021, but was not passed.

The Commercial harvest of kangaroos in Australia is legal. More than 1.3 million kangaroos were killed for commercial purposes in the country in 2021.