The manufacture and testing of sports equipment sometimes involves animal-derived materials and laboratory animal testing, raising significant welfare concerns that consumers rarely consider.
Animals used in sports equipment supply chains experience significant welfare harms — from the stress and pain of live feather plucking in geese and ducks, to the painful mulesing procedure used on Merino sheep, to the routine welfare deprivations of cattle raised for leather. Laboratory animals used in chemical testing of dyes and adhesives may experience skin irritation, respiratory distress, and other acute harms. Unlike food production, sports equipment lacks robust welfare labelling, making it nearly impossible for consumers to make informed choices. The scale of impact is substantial: the global sports equipment market is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with animal-derived materials embedded throughout supply chains.