Nike will stop using kangaroo leather for football boots and any other products by the end of 2023.

The decision comes after years of pushback from animal rights activists, as well as a recent legislation potentially banning the sale of products made with kangaroo parts that was introduced in Oregon, where Nike HQ is based.

Kangaroo leather – also known as k-leather – is most commonly used to make football boots, as the material is thought to be lighter in weight and more durable than cowhide. Nike’s Tiempo Legend Elite and Tiempo Premier boots, expected to drop this summer, will be made with alternative materials. By the end of the year, the brand plans to boot k-leather out of manufacturing completely.

PUMA, another brand recently under fire for its own use of k-leather, introduced an alternative material with its latest PUMA King boots. ‘K-Better’ is a completely vegan and partly recycled material.

More and more sportswear brands have introduced innovative new fabrics, made to provide the same quality without animal byproducts. Both brands’ efforts to phase out kangaroo leather in their products fall into a trend in the sport where alternative materials have become the norm.