What Are Crocs Made Of? Surprising Shoe Facts You Might Not Believe

Crocs are foam clog shoes popular all over the world, but did you know Crocs is actually the name of an American company responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of this product?

Croc shoes were invented by Scott Seamans, Lydon Hanson, and George Boedecker Jr. They manufactured these plastic or foam-based clogs for the comfort of men and women.

We will learn more about the invention of Crocs later in the article but first, let us uncover what Crocs are actually made of. It is quite fascinating to be in an era where comfort has always been given priority.

If you notice people's feet and their footwear while moving around the city, you will see at least 70 % of people now choosing Crocs as their daily footwear. Crocs as a brand have evolved a lot from when they started.

Seamans, Hanson, and Boedecker Jr. when they made Crocs, wanted to produce and distribute foam clog design shoes and they were successful in doing so.

The company Crocs, based in the United State of America, make their Crocs from a synthetic fiber called croslite. This material is a proprietary closed-cell foam resin produced and trademarked by the company Crocs Inc.

Croslite is actually very lightweight and soft and these benefits make it a popular choice in the market. The material croslite, produced by the company, is also odor-resistant, non-toxic, and is known not to leave marks even after an extended period of wearing.

Croslite resists fungal and bacterial growth too as the material is anti-microbial by nature. Croslite also does not absorb sweat, so it is fairly easy to clean.

It is neither full rubber nor plastic. The foam resin material is a product of a polymer called EVA or ethylene-vinyl acetate. The croslite material, created by the brand Crocs, can be damaged by extended exposure to direct sunlight or high temperatures and the synthetic fiber used warps and changes shape.

Wearing Crocs has a lot of medical benefits too. Crocs are made to add comfort and stability to the heel and arch of the feet.

Crocs also reduce muscle fatigue by up to 60 percent. If your new pair of crocs do not please you, we don't know what will!

The shoe brand, Crocs Inc, is a company from America based in Broomfield in Colorado. The first model of shoes by Crocs was initially produced in 2001.

Up to now, the brand Crocs has sold more than 300 million pairs of shoes. In June 2020, the headquarters were moved to Broomfield but the company was previously based in Niwot in Colorado.

Crocs have since acquired many brands and many different companies all over the world and are still growing in their sheer structure. It has also had headquarters in Italy for a long time now.

Sometimes you might notice a bad smell coming out of your Crocs but we already know that Crocs are odor-free. This foul smell can arise from not wearing socks as socks are used to absorb the sweat.

If you enjoyed this article, why not also read answers to what are joggers and what are orbeez made of here on Kidadl?

Facts About The Invention Of Crocs

The three founders Scott Seamans, Lyndon Hanson, and George Boedecker wanted the production and distribution of foam clog design shoes. They acquired this design from a company called Foam Creations, based in Quebec city in Canada.

Croc shoes were first developed as boating shoes. Crocs first unveiled their new design in 2002 at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida.

It was called 'the beach'. They immediately sold out 200 pairs of crocs at the event.

In 2004, Crocs purchased Foam Creations and all of its manufacturing systems. They bought this company to secure the rights to the material used for making Crocs, croslite.

Croslite can easily shape itself to the feet of the person wearing the shoes. Due to the durability of the pair of shoes, Cros were sold strategically to hospital workers and restaurant workers who needed to walk on their feet the whole day long.

The targeted shoppers like the product a lot because of the material being soft, lightweight, and comfortable, which reduced the chances of shoe bites. As Crocs are made of croslite, it also made the cleaning process very easy.

Youngsters loved the rugged design and bright colors a pair of Crocs came in and they were an instant hit. 76,000 pairs of shoes were sold in the first year and generated a revenue of 1.2 million dollars.

They then sold 649,000 pairs generating a revenue of 12.3 million dollars. After the acquisition of Foam Creations, the first national marketing campaign was launched in 2005.

This campaign was to attract investors as well as consumers to purchase products from Crocs shoes. TDA Advertising and Design, a company from Boulder, Colorado was hired for the marketing campaign for Crocs and the slogan made by them for the print ad was 'Ugly Can Be Beautiful'.

This ad became big and created a lot of hype in the magazines of that time. Crocs shoes soon became a trend and in 2005, they sold around 6 million pairs of shoes and achieved $108.8 million in sales.

These breathable work shoes were given a patent with this name on February 7th, 2006.

On March 28, 2006, they were given more patents regarding the ornamental aspects of the crocs shoes.

In 2007, the company Crocs registered the name Crocs and the Crocs logo as trademarks all over the world in over 40 different jurisdictions. The application stating the use of the logo and name in products related to shoes was extended to other products too including luggage, watches, and sunglasses.

When did Crocs come out?

Originally developed as a boating shoe, the founding members of Crocs acquired the design from Foam Creations of Canada.

The company that made Crocs was founded in 2002 in Colorado by three friends; Seamans, Hanson, and Boedecker Jr. They realized the potential of these shoes whilst on a trip to the Caribbean.

Crocs were first developed as boating shoes as one of the three friends liked the foam clog shoes so much. They realized the potential the foam clog shoes had and decided to start a business of their own.

The comfort that the boating shoe gave the people wearing each pair was unconditional due to the materials used and the three founders started manufacturing these crocs shoes with materials including croslite.

Crocs shoes have become so popular that people all over the world purchase these light shoes and apart from Colorado, Crocs have headquarters all over the world including in Boston in Massachusetts, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Singapore, Seoul in Korea, Tokyo in Japan, Shanghai in China, and Padua, Italy.

How are Crocs made?

Crocs shoes are made from croslite, a closed-cell resin made from polymer. This soft material is scratch-resistant along with being slip-resistant.

The materials that Crocs are made out of consist of croslite which is neither rubber nor plastic. Croslite is an exceptional material that is not exactly rubber but gives better cushioning for your feet.

The footwear brand claims that croslite used in the production of Crocs shoes is non-toxic and is odor-free, along with being resistant to bacteria. The finished footwear can be worn for long periods of time without any fatigue or foul odor.

Even if the Crocs shoes become very dirty, the footwear can just be washed with soap and water.

You can even wash them along with your feet and the Crocs will still come out clean. Wearing Crocs is very low maintenance and due to the use of light materials, they are quite easy to carry.

Crosslite is shockproof and absorbs 40 % more than any other footwear. The Crocs also level the load across the bottom of the foot.

We cannot exactly say how Crocs are made as the main materials going into croslite is not known but the material is believed to be a type of ethylene-vinyl acetate or EVA. This is added to an EVA injection molding machine where the croslite is heated.

The end product is added to the mold and the iconic Crocs come out of production.

The polymer is also used to make other shoe soles and other shoe parts. The polymer is said to be a product of crude oil.

You should also know how to differentiate between original Crocs clogs and an imitation pair. It is quite easy to differentiate as no one other than the company knows the true composition of Crocs.

The original Crocs clogs will also have their shiny logo on the surface while the imitation will only put a sticker of the logo. The sole will also have a logo engraved with good details.

The website will also be mentioned along with the location Boulder, colorado. The Crocs will fit perfectly and take the shape of your feet in due time.

Are Crocs good or bad for the environment?

We know footwear gets a bad name as it cannot be easily recycled, and Crocs, like any other plastic, are non-biodegradable.

Crocs are not usually considered bad for the environment as they are made of croslite which is a non-absorbent closed-cell foam. The exact composition of the material is not known but the material is not considered biodegradable but is probably recyclable.

If you see statistics, Americans alone throw away around 300 million pairs of shoes each year that end up in landfills. These discarded shoes take around 30 years to decompose.

So can it be good for the environment? The toxic chemicals found in many different shoes are released in nature.

For alleviating the carbon footprint, it is very necessary to be able to recycle shoes. So do not throw away your pair of Crocs and instead, try to recycle them.

Generally, branded shoes have a lot of toxic chemicals which are harmful to nature. Crocs, on the other hand, are made up of croslite which is recyclable.

However, the plastic and rubber composition of Crocs is not biodegradable, similar to other synthetic plastics. This poses a high environmental concern but there are ways to recycle your Crocs. You could donate your Crocs to someone who needs them.

You might not want to wear your old pair anymore, but giving them to someone else might make their day. It will also help alleviate global warming.

There are many different organizations that would happily take your Crocs and give them to someone who needs them. You can also try a thrift store and churches and community centers might take your old clothes and Crocs as part of donations.

There are many donation camps during the holidays, so that's somewhere you could go. You can also use your old Crocs as slippers for guests when they come into your house.

You can even use them as pots for your plants. If you are not using your Crocs, please recycle them for the health of our environment.

Can I eat my Crocs?

I don't know who does, but apparently, people wonder if the Crocs we wear are actually edible. You will be surprised to know the answer!

The biggest concern would be if you are buying a pair of Crocs for your toddler and they try to eat the footwear. Crocs are made from resin and contain no toxic chemicals or substances.

So if you feel like it, you can eat your Crocs. But it might hurt your bowel movements or indigestion.

If you get stuck on an island or a forest with no food around, theoretically you can survive feeding on Crocs. All the materials used in making a pair of Crocs are organic, but the taste is going to be horrible even if you boil it.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what are crocs made of then why not take a look at what are mothballs used for or what are non-alphanumeric characters.