The brand plans to go 100% vegan and will also minimize packaging, manage resources responsibly, and explore innovative afterlife product solutions as it commits to becoming a net-zero company by 2030.

Crocs, Inc. has announced plans to go 100% vegan as a commitment to becoming a net-zero company by 2030.

The global casual footwear company recently laid out a series of initiatives across its value chain in order to minimize the brand’s carbon footprint and impact on the environment.

One of the measures includes using more sustainable ingredients for its products and packaging materials.

According to Crocs, the current carbon footprint of each pair of Classic Clogs is 3.94 kg of CO2e, which is fairly low. But the brand intends to make it even more sustainable by developing a more eco-friendly version of its vegan Crosslite material – the main synthetic used in its footwear. Currently, 45% of the Crosslite material is recycled.

The company is aiming to become a 100% vegan brand by the end of 2021.

The brand also reduced the impact of packaging materials by selling 85% of all Crocs shoes without boxes in 2020. It added that it will continue ‘to explore sustainable alternatives for all other elements of its packaging’.

‘Committed to accountability’

Andrew Rees is the CEO at Crocs. He said: “Taking action to reduce our environmental footprint by implementing more sustainable practices across our entire business is the right thing to do for Crocs.

 “As a company, we are deeply committed to accountability and we’re confident that we have the right team, the right innovations and the right partners to help us achieve our net-zero ambitions by 2030.”

 Crocs will also take steps to keep its shoes out of landfills through donations, and repurposing and recycling programs. Plus, it will explore transitioning to renewably sourced energy in its offices and distribution centres and buy carbon credits to offset any emissions it cannot remove.

Shoe brands going vegan

Crocs isn’t the only footwear brand committing to more sustainable practices and environmentally friendly materials.

Earlier this year, Nike unveiled its Move To Zero sneaker range made from eco-friendly materials including recycled cork sourced from the wine industry.

Before that, it released a low-carbon footprint sneaker collection, Space Hippie.

Moreover, brand giants including Reebok and Adidas have rolled out their own ‘sustainable’ shoes too.

Last year, Reebok launched its Forever Floatride GROW sneakers. The shoe is made entirely from plants, including castor beans made midsole, an upper made sourced from the eucalyptus tree, and a sole made from rubber trees. The sock liner features BLOOM—an algae-based material.

Adidas partnered with Bolt Threads – maker of cruelty-free leather called Mylo using renewable mycelium – for the new range of its iconic Stan Smith sneakers.

• Read: Amazon rainforest now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs, scientists warn

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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