While discussing fashion in the 21st century, one cannot ignore the importance of good-looking and appealing shoes. Fashion footwear can either compliment or ruin one’s dressing style. Different shoe fashions evolve, but one type of shoe that appears to be surging in popularity is Crocs.
The persistent and surging popularity of Crocs can be attributed to numerous factors. Firstly, Crocs are worn as casual footwear, which is trendy nowadays. In addition, Crocs are ideal for a great deal of activities because they are casual and non-formal. These shoes are also easy to get, wear, and manage.
However, with the surging use and popularity of Crocs in different regions, some problems have emerged too. As most persistent users are aware, crocs do not tend to last very long, and eventually, they deteriorate to a point to which they can no longer be used. The common action for most people becomes to throw them away.
Throwing away Crocs sheds light on prominent problems with their eco-friendliness. I’m sure this is bothersome as a consumer. You bought elegant Crocs because you love their comfort, but you are in fact concerned of their environmental impact.
To address this issue, we will look into something that might have been bothering you for a while.
In this light, we will be considering the following questions: Do Crocs pose danger to the ecosystem? Are they biodegradable? Is it possible to recycle crocs? What is the proper way to throw away your Crocs? All these questions and more will be addressed in this post. You have no excuses to miss this important material. Therefore, sit back, open your mind, and let us provide you with a greatly needed service.
Can You Recycle Crocs?
At this point in time, it does seem that the popularity of Crocs has firmed up, and they are certainly not going anywhere. In fact, it very much seems like they are becoming more popular by the day. In fact, as far as everyone can tell, it looks like they are becoming even more popular.
Those in the footwear and fashion industry seem to be taking advantage of this craze by producing different variants of Crocs. This raises the concern of what happens when the time comes to dispose of the Crocs. In short, can your Crocs be recycled?
Unfortunately, in the context of recycling, Crocs deal with a big fat “no.” You cannot recycle Crocs, albeit it’s no surprise given how difficult it is to recycle the materials used to create shoes out of other plastics.
The explanation behind this is rather simple.
Many people believe that the Crocs brand of shoes is made out of rubber because of their texture. This is not true because Crocs are made from a material called CrosliteTM. The Croslite is a trademarked resin of Crocs, Inc., the owners of the Crocs brand, which is produced by the very company that manufactured and distributed the brand.
The Croslite is not pure rubber, but it also has no traces of plastic. It is a foam resin material created with a polymer known as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). EVA is a type of plastic and is not easily recycable at all. Crocs are some of the products made with EVA, so Crocs useful materials can not be reused.
Certain circumstances explain the reasoning behind the usage of EVA for Crosslite and, therefore for your crocs. First, the Crosslite allows Crocs to have some elastomeric feature. This allows it to stretch making it easy for you to clean the crocs. Surely, this is something we know you love about the crocs.
Additionally, Crosslite ensures that your Crocs do not absorb water, which makes it resistant to damage in comparison to other shoes. All of these abilities put together, make the undoing of your Crocs simply impossible.
So, if you were to previously consider throwing your old Crocs into the recycling bin, considering they would actually be recycled, then it is best for you to have a rethink. For what it’s worth, this would accomplish nothing, because in all likelihood these will end up in a landfill as the recycling company will deem these non-recyclable.
Are Crocs Environmentally Friendly?
In attempting to analyze the eco-friendliness of Crocs, we first have to look at the defining features of a product, item or activity that classifies it as unsustainable or environmentally friendly. With such an understanding, we can try to answer the question of whether Crocs are eco-friendly. Let’s explore!
In general, a product cannot be classified as environmentally friendly if, before, during, or after its use, it uses resources or generates waste that harms the environment. Crocs are manufactured using a foam resin material known as Croslite, proprietary to the brand.
The Croslite is made up of chemicals that have elements of plastic. As we have discussed before, plastic is detrimental to the environment, and so is this particular material. This is also the reason why crocs are unable to be recycled at most recycling centers.
Because crocs are made using proprietary materials, they may not easily breakdown in landfills over long periods of time. By itself, this creates a case for concern regarding Crocs and their impact on the environment.
For instance, during biodegradation, these materials can be swept away by floods and move to other regions. In such cases, they are able to contaminate other regions and even poison water bodies owing to the release of harmful substances. This will without a doubt, harm the aquatic life.
If the looking back says anything, then we may state that “No” they are not eco-friendly.
Do Crocs Decompose?
The fact which is obvious to all is that humans, plants and animals, after having lived on this earth, decompose and merge into nature, this is not the case with these materials. For which, it is a bit more complex. The reason is that not all of the such materials are capable of natural biodegradation.
This suggests that these materials do not undergo biodegradation which means that their chemical constituents are always there in nature. Such occurrence is injurious to the environment and unfortunately crocs is one such non-natural material which is difficult to break down. What could possibly be the reason for this? We have it right here for you.
Crocs belong to this product category that is nonbiodegradable. This, in simple terms, stems from the components like ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) that goes into its production. Ethylene-vinyl acetate is used in the manufacturing of crocs specifically so that the crocs can serve the intended purpose. While this is great, environmentally, this is a major concern.
The vast majority of Crocs left in the landfill for a number of years has the potential to pollute the surrounding aquatic environment. Because Crocs are lightweight, they can easily be blown away by strong winds or washed to undesired locations by floods, compounding the problem.
This on its own is bad, but to give a bit of ”light at the end of the tunnel”, if you expose your crocs to the correct environmental conditions, you can expect them to decompose. In this way, your crocs will not take an extremely long time before decomposing, but will indeed break down in a shorter time frame.
Are Crocs Biodegradable?
We have established that Crocs cannot decompose because of the materials used to manufacture them. It logically follows that the answer to this question is, “No.” Crocs are not biodegradable.
Since biodegradable parts of waste would decompose, that reasoning may be relevant in this case as well.
It is almost evident that old crocs have nowhere to go except for the landfill. And considering even in a landfill, they do wear out, it makes you ponder what the future would be like for our environment. This might be concerning.
It is human nature to break through boundaries that might seem impossible, so why must it be this way? That is why in this segment, there are a few options that do not need you to toss away the old Crocs.
What To Do With Old Crocs?
Clearing out possessions will always bring innovation. One of the principal reasons you might not be able to create is because you do not have anything specific in mind that they can be created, and this seems to be the case with crocs. Worry no more in this segment, I will highlight things that can be done.
- For Holding Plants: With something occurring hypothetically in your gardening duties, you might need to have a solid idea of how to solve particular issues. This can include plants not standing up straight as you have envisioned. With a simple pair of crocs, you need not worry about such problems anymore. As crocs are not heavy at all, you need not worry whether it will damage your plants.
- For Drawing Materials: Crocs, owing to their half-footwear covering, can also be accessorized for pen and pencil holding. This approach will enable children to organize their supplies efficiently while also teaching them order.
- Make Decorative Items: A pair of crocs can have plant designs, and you can place it anywhere within your home or office thus greatly improving the aesthetic value of your living space.
- Eliminate Deliberation: Your old Crocs can be given away or donated freely and myriad charitable platforms are willing to assist such as Soles4Souls. Crocs clearly look like functional art pieces so don’t worry when wearing or gifting them.
Soles4Souls is a social enterprise which focuses on collecting used shoes with the aim of distributing the footwear to those in need. They work in cooperation with Crocs Inc on Crocs shoes.
In their work, Soles4Souls collects used Crocs, cleans them thoroughly, and Croc Revamping workers make any necessary repairs to guarantee a neat final product before distributing them. Once they have made the footwear to a wearable condition, they send them off to the countries and people who need them the most.
Final Thoughts
As much as you love your Crocs, you must understand that eventually there will be a time where you have to say goodbye to them. After a while, those Crocs get old and you probably ought to stop wearing them. At this stage, you are left wondering what else can you do with them.
As we have tried to prove already, the first option of throwing them into the landfill might not be the best one. This is due to the damage the Crocs would no doubt cause to the ecosystem. Alternatively, you can repurpose them for innovative ideas. You can also choose to donate them and shelter someone in need of shoes and let them use it in the right way.