Crocs. Birkys for a New Millenium?

When I first saw Crocs on people’s feet I wasn’t sure what struck me the most. The garish colours, or the seemingly extra wide fitting. What I did observe that the next day I saw twice as many as the first day, and the same the day after. Their popularity is just phenomenal. Exponental. According to one report they have factories pumping out about 3 million pairs a month and still can’t meet demand. And their adoption seems to be beyond the usual fashion fad. Wearers just rave about the comfort. One retail shop staffer told me she was on her feet all day, but kept her Crocs on when arriving home ‘cos they were just so damn comfy. But are they green? Well, the material is called Croslite PCCR (proprietary closed cell resin), which tells us nothing at all really. Other than it is a petroleum based foam. But two aspects do give them at least a verdant tinge.

1. Apart from the rivets on the straps they are made entirely of the one material. No adhesives, no structural weakness with one material wearing out before the others. And 2. they weigh next to nothing. While the material may come from finite fossil reserves, it achieves maximum functionality with absolutely minimal resource use. I doubt it is possible to make a lighter pair of shoes. But these two unintended eco-design attributes somewhat conspire against themselves. The simple manufacture leads to a modest price, that in turns creates over-consumption. Fans buy multiple pairs, just to have other colours and brag about how many they have. It is certainly an interesting phenomena. ::Crocs.