Living Ink and Crocs Achieve Commercial Printing Milestone with Algae-Based CMYK Ink Tech

The pivotal moment came during Crocs' trial run, where expectations collided with reality in the most positive way possible. The teams had prepared for an elaborate testing process, anticipating the usual challenges that accompany integrating new materials into established production workflows. Instead, they achieved success in less than four hours!

Press operators worked systematically to determine optimal settings, adjusting temperature, pressure, and drying time with each test page. Rather than struggling with compatibility issues, they found themselves refining an already viable solution. The process improved with every iteration, and colour matching proved flawless—demonstrating that brands could integrate algae-based materials without compromising design fidelity or visual impact.

The rapid success reflected extensive preparation behind the scenes. Living Ink had expanded their production capabilities to support high-volume, global brand demand. The company currently has the capacity to produce 500 kilograms of ink per week with appropriate lead times, achieved through upstream investments in pigment production and biomass supply diversification.

To maintain consistency and reliability, Living Ink expanded tolling partnerships and brought critical equipment in-house. Daily production planning ensures alignment across the pigment-to-ink workflow, while the company actively diversifies biomass sources to minimise supply chain risks. Their operational model was built for scale, with rigorous oversight designed to meet commercial partner demands without compromising environmental performance.

EcoEnclose's role proved crucial in this transformation. Initial tests on simple one-colour presses quickly identified formulation issues with Living Ink's early versions. Through intensive collaboration, with teams working on-site and making real-time adjustments during printing runs, they resolved compatibility issues and established the foundation for seamless integration.

The beauty of Living Ink's solution became its seamless replacement capability for traditional offset and flexographic inks. By the time four-colour process printing became the goal, Algae Ink had evolved into a true drop-in replacement requiring only minimal equipment adjustments—ensuring no sacrifice in print quality or throughput.

Since August 2023, every Crocs Jibbitz charm box has featured Algae Ink as part of its packaging process, with roughly 3.2 million boxes printed to date. The boxes now appear across retail point-of-sale locations across the US, marking a quiet revolution in packaging sustainability.

This achievement represents the first commercial application using algae-based pigment in full CMYK process artwork. Crocs had previously incorporated Algae Ink into select retail bags in 2023, but the Jibbitz boxes demonstrate the breakthrough in four-colour process printing—proving that bio-based alternatives can integrate seamlessly into existing workflows.

The initiative aligns with Crocs' broader sustainability goals, guided by their commitment to tread more lightly and create a more comfortable world. In 2024, the company reduced their classic clog's carbon footprint by 10% through incorporating bio-circular content into their trademark Croslite compounds. Their updated materials now include 25% bio-circular content sourced from repurposed plant-based waste and certified by ISCC PLUS—innovations now used in most of their products.

Living Ink's patented pigment production process transforms discarded algae biomass into stable, carbon-sequestering pigment. This renewable material enables brands to reduce reliance on petroleum-based materials while embedding meaningful environmental value into consumer-facing packaging designs. The carbon-negative pigment represents a fundamental shift from traditional carbon black production methods.

The economic realities acknowledge both challenges and opportunities. Algae Ink costs more than traditional alternatives, but ink represents a small percentage of total packaging costs. The incremental expense becomes manageable when viewed against complete production costs including materials, printing, and converting. EcoEnclose absorbs some additional costs to make the technology more accessible, recognising that expanded adoption will ultimately drive prices down through increased scale.

This cost structure reflects broader market dynamics where premium pricing often stems from limited production volumes rather than inherent barriers. The collaboration has established a template for sustainable innovation moving from laboratory concept to retail reality, demonstrating that consumer-facing packaging projects represent just the beginning of replacing carbon black across industries.