Adidas is facing calls for a consumer boycott over a campaign promoting its “Single Shoe Service” after the sportswear company featured Shalev Biton, a former Israeli soldier who lost his left leg during the 2021 Gaza conflict.
The initiative allows customers who require only one shoe to purchase it for half the price of a standard pair. While the service is aimed at improving accessibility for amputees, Adidas’ choice of Biton to promote it has triggered criticism from pro-Palestinian activists and other voices online.
Biton disclosed his involvement in the campaign on Instagram on August 26, explaining that the concept reflected his own experience of having to purchase pairs of shoes despite needing only one. Campaign material featuring him has subsequently circulated in Hebrew and English.
Brandspur Brand News reports that criticism has centred largely on the decision to associate the accessibility campaign with a former member of the Israeli military at a time when thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are living with amputations and other permanent injuries resulting from the conflict.
The scale of those injuries has added to the sensitivity surrounding the campaign. World Health Organization estimates indicated that between 5,000 and 6,000 people in Gaza had undergone amputations by October 2025, while tens of thousands were living with life-changing injuries.
The backlash has prompted journalists, writers and pro-Palestinian campaigners on social media to urge consumers to stop purchasing Adidas products. Some users have publicly stated that they intend to boycott the German sportswear company over the choice of campaign ambassador.
The controversy comes despite the underlying service being designed around a practical problem faced by amputees. Adidas has offered the Single Shoe Service in stores since January, allowing eligible customers to avoid paying for footwear they do not need.
Reports have suggested that Adidas acknowledged concerns surrounding the campaign and indicated that changes would be made. However, a definitive company response confirming the precise changes has not been established across the available reports.
The latest backlash places Adidas once again at the centre of sensitivities surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In 2024, the company faced criticism over a campaign involving Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid that referenced the 1972 Munich Olympics. Adidas subsequently apologised following the controversy surrounding the campaign.
The latest dispute highlights the reputational risks global brands face when marketing decisions intersect with conflicts carrying deep political and humanitarian sensitivities, even when the product or service being promoted is intended to address accessibility.
