Crocs is being applauded for being the first to integrate a more sustainable ink option into some of its packaging.
Packaging World reported that the brand began swapping out petroleum-based carbon black with an algae-derived pigment for its Jibbitz shoe-charm packaging in 2023. This made Jibbitz the first commercial product to utilize the algae-based black ink in full-color printing.
The product is made by Living Ink Technologies and is derived from algae biomass.
The news site said the move fits into Crocs' broader sustainability goals, noting that the company's products include 25% bio-based content sourced from repurposed, plant-based waste. In 2024, the company reduced the carbon impact of its classic clog by 10%, according to Packaging World, and it has integrated other new policies to make its packaging greener.
Crocs is also helping to cut waste by encouraging consumers to turn in their old clogs through a donation recycling program. Other companies like The North Face, Lululemon, Levi's, and Patagonia have similar programs. Many of these initiatives offer customers store credit for their trade-in. Such programs can help consumers save money while also keeping resources out of landfills -- a win for the environment.
Meanwhile, a number of other mainstream brands have implemented an array of eco-friendly policies, such as integrating solar into their operations or transitioning to electric transport fleets to help clean up their acts. These types of projects are essential in helping to lower planet-heating pollution.
"When EcoEnclose brought the opportunity to partner with Living Ink on this project, I was ecstatic," Amber Bochmann, Crocs senior retail operations manager, told Packaging World. "The idea of being the first brand to incorporate black algae ink using a four-color process was very exciting."
EcoEnclose calls the ink "safer and cleaner to work with and more compatible with recycling and composting" compared to standard petroleum-based ink.
"Algae Ink incorporates a net negative carbon technology; the process to make its Algae Black pigment sequesters more carbon than is emitted," the packaging supplier said on its website.