Kangaroo leather producer happy to compete with synthetics
Following recent decisions from Puma and, later, Nike, to stop using kangaroo leather in their football boots, the chairman of Queensland-based specialist kangaroo leather manufacturer Packer Leather, Lyndsay Packer, has said the situation is a repeat of what the 132-year-old company has witnessed before.
Mr Packer explained that Nike had “walked away from kangaroo leather” in the 1990s, only to return to using the material.
This time, both of the sports footwear brands have said they have developed synthetic upper materials that they believe will perform better than kangaroo leather.
In recent comments to media in Australia, Mr Packer said: “I don’t mind competition against synthetics. After a few years, people will realise the quality isn’t there. It goes in cycles.”
He pointed out that synthetics are not sustainable because they are made from hydrocarbons. Kangaroo skins, on the other hand, are a renewable resource. Mr Packer said the raw material his company uses is managed very carefully, with 95% of it coming from abattoirs that process culled animals.
The kangaroo population s carefully controlled in many regions of Australia to prevent excessive damage to crops.
Image: Kangaroo Industry Association.
