It’s been a big year for Crocs, Inc.’s circularity efforts. At its core, circularity is about mitigating waste and keeping materials and products in use and at their highest value for as long as possible1. To us, circularity means championing circular models of production and consumption through more innovative product design and collaboration – that's the ambition we’re working toward. A circular economy is incredibly complex and requires partnership across industries and organizations, including corporates, non-profits, and governments. This is why we’re starting with circular steps within a “circular-ish”2 model so that we can apply the principles of circularity now, while working toward both short- and long-term positive impact.
As part of our collaborative, continuous, and innovative efforts, in 2024, we: 1) reached a significant milestone in our use of bio-circular content, 2) expanded a program to takeback and repurpose Crocs shoes from our fans, and 3) launched a new line of Classic Clogs containing recycled and bio-circular content that celebrates the progress we’ve made so far.
Achieving a Significant Milestone of 25% Bio-Circular Content in Croslite™
In September 2024, we proudly announced that we achieved 25% bio-circular content in our Croslite™ compounds*, which makes up over 80% of Crocs, Inc.’s total material usage. To do this, we source plant-based byproducts from other industries that would otherwise end up as waste, like cooking oil, which results in a more sustainable material for Crocs shoes without sacrificing the comfort you expect from Crocs.**
We also partnered with Hank Green, author, science communicator and Instagram influencer, to help us make these complex topics a bit more accessible. In his unique way, Hank Green explained ‘bio-circular’ to our fans and brought enhanced awareness to our circularity efforts.
Click here to watch Hank Green’s video.
Using bio-circular materials is an important part of our material innovation efforts, building on the work we’ve done over the past several years, including recycling production scraps and optimizing the use of materials across our supply chain.*** These initiatives not only help make the shoes you know and love better, but also contribute to progress toward our Net Zero by 2040 goal and overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions strategies. As a direct result of our bio-circular material initiative, in 2023, Crocs, Inc. saw a 3% reduction in absolute emissions in our overall company carbon footprint compared to business as usual, as well as a 6.1% reduction in emissions per pair of Classic Clogs compared to our 2021 baseline and as demonstrated by our most recent Life Cycle Assessment. ****
Giving Old Crocs a New Life with an Expanded Takeback Program
After a pilot launch in 2023, we were able to expand our “Old Crocs. New Life.” takeback program to consumers across the United States in 2024. Not only is this program now available in any retail store or outlet in the U.S. (excluding Hawaii and Puerto Rico), in partnership with EcoEnclose, a sustainable packaging and shipping supplies company, consumers can also send old Crocs via mail to our industry partner, ReCircled.
If Crocs are still wearable when we receive them, the goal is to find them a new home! We've coordinated with ReCircled to help us sort through the Crocs shoes we take back. The best quality shoes are donated to Soles4Souls, an international non-profit organization that works with partners to create local economic benefit in communities around the world through entrepreneurship and employment. If they’re not suitable to stay on feet, we work with ReCircled to find other paths, including grinding them down into post-consumer recycled materials to be repurposed and reimagined into something new.
We are continuing to evaluate ways to further expand our takeback program around the world – it is a significant step forward as we seek to reduce the impacts of our products on the environment. Our goal is that our shoes stay at their highest value as long as possible, keeping them out of nature and landfills across the globe.
Let’s Keep It Going!
Speaking of reimagining the post-consumer recycled material resulting from well-loved Crocs shoes...Shortly after the announcement of our 25% bio-circular milestone achievement in September, we launched the limited-edition ’Keep It Going’ Classic Clog, available for purchase at Crocs retail locations in the U.S. and for U.S. consumers via Crocs.com. This Crocs release proves we can tap into our innovate spirit to advance circularity, together with the help of our fans, while maintaining the same style and comfort we all know and love. The ’Keep it Going’ Classic Clog is made with 25% post-consumer recycled content created from Crocs shoes repurposed through the ‘Old Crocs. New Life’ takeback program, combined with our even more sustainable Croslite™ material containing 25% bio-circular content.***** It‘s an early example of the shoe of the future that we’re working toward, and we’re only just getting started!
So What?
By thinking about circularity holistically, Crocs, Inc. has improved the materials it uses to create shoes and partnered with its fans to keep those same shoes out of landfills once they reach their end-of-life. If we can continue to optimize the design of our products, be imaginative in our end-of-life solutions, and collaborate with our customers, we – and you – can play a significant role in scaling circularity and bringing Comfort for the Planet.
Footnotes
*The majority of our Crocs shoes are made with our proprietary Croslite™ material (Croslite™ also accounts for more than 80% of the materials used across the Crocs, Inc. portfolio).
**We source repurposed bio-waste from other industries (bio-circular materials) to produce bio-circular Croslite™. Our current Croslite™ portfolio uses at least 25% bio-circular material sourcing calculated annually (since September 2023) through a mass balance approach (ISCC PLUS certified).
***Our current Croslite™ portfolio is also made with 7.3% post-industrial recycled material derived from Crocs’ production, calculated on a mass balance basis in 2023. We currently only incorporate post-industrial content from our own production, which mitigates concerns of restricted substances that might result from unknown sources.
**** A third-party Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted by an environmental consultancy with primary data from fiscal year 2023, including 17.3% bio-circular content in our Croslite™ compounds on a mass balance basis. Bio-circular Croslite™ material has a lower carbon footprint than standard fossil fuel-based Croslite™ material, as demonstrated by our SGS certified life cycle assessment.
*****Crocs ‘Keep It Going’ Classic Clogs are made with a minimum of 25% post-consumer recycled content created from Crocs shoes we’ve taken back. The remaining 75% of the shoe is made with Croslite™ material.
Citations
1 Ellen Macarthur Foundation, https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQj
2 Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Circular Economy Show Episode 25, “Circular-ish: embracing the messy reality of circular economy innovation”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTgK7dHiqUk