Colorado-based Crocs has long been known for turning footwear into a colorful expression of individuality. Now the brand’s packaging is carrying that same spirit of innovation into sustainability. Since August 2023, every carton of Croc’s Jibbitz-brand shoe charms has been printed with Algae Ink, a renewable ink made from algae biomass. In partnership with Living Ink Technologies and packaging supplier EcoEnclose, the project has already produced roughly 3.2 million cartons and marks the first commercial use of Algae Ink as the black component in a full CMYK print run.
Says Crocs Senior Retail Operations Manager Amber Bochmann, “When EcoEnclose brought the opportunity to partner with Living Ink on this project, I was ecstatic. The idea of being the first brand to incorporate black Algae Ink using a four-color process was very exciting. As you can see by the palette of colors that our Classic Clog comes in, color and personalization shine brightly within our brand.”
Crocs’ use of Algae Ink aligns with the brand’s broader sustainability goals to “tread more lightly” and “create a more comfortable world.” In 2024, the company reduced the carbon footprint of its classic clog by 10% by incorporating bio-circular content into its proprietary Croslite resin compounds. The company’s updated materials now include 25% bio-based content sourced from repurposed, plant-based waste and certified by ISCC Plus.
Expanding its sustainability efforts into packaging, Crocs ships most of its products in a film bag that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85% versus a shoe box. Furthermore, the LDPE that’s used is made from 100% recycled content. Its adoption of Algae Ink, which is also being used in select retail bags, reflects the company’s concern around the environmental footprint of conventional printing inks.
According to Living Ink, petroleum-based carbon black, widely used as a pigment, is produced by burning fossil fuels, a process that generates GHGs and involves toxic chemicals. It is also subject to growing regulatory scrutiny and negative consumer perception. In contrast, Living Ink reports that its life-cycle assessment of Algae Ink shows that the bio-based pigment eliminates reliance on fossil resources, reduces carbon emissions by more than 200%, and cuts water use by 98%.
Living Ink’s patented pigment production process begins with waste biomass that would otherwise be discarded. In the case of Crocs, the pigment is made from algae biomass sourced from the nutritional supplements industry. More broadly, the company notes that its Algae Black pigment can be derived from a variety of renewed waste streams, offering flexibility and scalability as demand grows. The production process involves heat treatment and particle refinement to create a stable, carbon-negative pigment that is then formulated into Algae Ink. According to Living Ink, because algae absorb CO2 during growth, the resulting pigment also contributes to carbon sequestration.
To date, Algae Ink has been used in single-color and pilot-scale projects across packaging, apparel, and cosmetics. With Crocs, Living Ink demonstrates that its pigments can be integrated into full-scale, four-color commercial printing. The company has shared that its next phase of development includes scaling pigment production from thousands of pounds to millions of pounds annually, supported by expanded sourcing of waste biomass and partnerships with global brands. PW
