12. May 2026
Crocs and recycled TPU repurposed as Trash Panda golf discs
Footwear maker Crocs has teamed up with Colorado-based disc golf manufacturer Trash Panda Disc Golf to turn worn-out shoes into high-performance flying discs made with recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).
The collaboration uses shredded material recovered through Crocs’ “Old Crocs. New Life.” takeback programme, blending it with recycled TPU feedstock to manufacture disc golf discs containing 100% recycled plastic. The resulting products feature visible flecks of Crocs’ proprietary Croslite material embedded throughout the disc structure.
The project brings together two companies headquartered less than 30 miles apart in Colorado — Crocs in Broomfield and Trash Panda in Denver — with both firms emphasising local circular manufacturing and reduced transport emissions as part of the initiative.
Trash Panda founder Jesse Stedman said the collaboration aligned with the company’s existing focus on recycled materials.
“We’ve been making 100% recycled discs since 2020, but this one feels extra special,” he said. “Partnering with a brand like Crocs means more people caring about sustainable products, more material being diverted from local landfills, and more people discovering disc golf.”
Crocs chief sustainability and compliance officer Deanna Bratter said the project demonstrated how discarded footwear could be incorporated into new consumer products without leaving the local region.
“Transforming old Crocs shoes into new products, right here in Colorado, supports local circular solutions while helping us keep materials in use longer,” she said.
The collaboration is notable for polyurethane processors because it demonstrates a practical second-life application for mixed footwear waste streams. While Crocs shoes are best known for their Croslite closed-cell resin foam, the discs also contain recycled TPU, a material widely used in footwear midsoles, overlays and performance components because of its toughness, flexibility and abrasion resistance.
Disc golf itself has increasingly become associated with sustainability-focused outdoor brands, partly because the discs are injection moulded from durable engineering plastics that lend themselves to mechanical recycling.
The partnership also plays on the unusual branding of Trash Panda – a colloquial North American nickname for raccoons, derived from the animals’ scavenging habits and distinctive masked appearance.
According to the companies, the discs are now being sold internationally through Trash Panda’s online store, with the products already reaching players in more than 30 countries.
Photo: © Crocs