“Every single disc we make, every single product we make, is always 100% recycled plastic 100% of the time,” said Jesse Stedman, founder and CEO of Trash Panda Disc Golf.
The Colorado-based company recently launched a partnership with Crocs shoes, finding a creative new use for well-worn, well-loved shoes by transforming them into colorful new discs. The used shoes are collected through the Old Crocs. New Life. take-back program. At Trash Panda, the regrind, called Crocs shreds, is then blended with 100% recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) plastic.
The end result is a disc accented by multi-colored flecks of Crocs’ proprietary Croslite material. Products include the Crocs Inner Core model, and the Crocs Canyon, comprised of Crocs shreds blended with base discs from Trash Panda’s disc recycling program.
The development process required continuous experimentation to get the balance of materials to work. “They asked if we could recycle old shoes. This is the story of Trash Panda. We said, ‘We have no idea, but we’ll give it a shot,’” said Stedman.
The collaboration has helped both companies to create something special and unique. “Working with partners like Trash Panda allows us to build real, practical, and impactful circular pathways,” said Deanna Bratter, chief sustainability & compliance officer, Crocs, Inc.
“Transforming old Crocs shoes into new products, right here in Colorado, supports local circular solutions while helping us keep materials in use longer,” said Bratter.
For Trash Panda, this collaboration furthers its commitment to creating 100% recycled discs, which it began with the founding of the company in 2020. A major source of material has been its own disc recycling program, in which Trash Panda recycles plastic from other disc golf manufacturers. The program has recycled more than 60,000 discs.
Stedman started the company with a DIY injection machine that operated on his own body weight, and a prototype. Along the way, he learned about plastics and manufacturing. “Over the past six years, we’ve gone from the garage to now a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Denver. We’re running two injection machines every day and we just passed a quarter million discs made from 100% recycled plastic,” said Stedman. Trash Panda’s recycled discs are used on courses in more than 32 countries.
“I looked at the math of usable materials that are ending up in landfills, and thought we should use those before creating new materials. It was honestly as simple as that. I didn’t know the complications,” said Stedman.
“Still, to this day, I’ve not heard of anyone else making a product of 100% recycled TPU specifically, which is what we use. In the early days, people were telling me it was impossible. They still tell me it’s impossible.”
Stedman’s advice for other small businesses wanting to make recycled plastic part of their plan? Just do it. “If you have a goal and it’s a sustainability goal and you’re making a physical product, it’s likely that your manufacturer will tell you they cannot use more than 5%, 10%, 15% or whatever percent recycled plastic,” said Stedman. “If your manufacturer tells you it’s impossible, push harder. I don’t think it’s impossible.”
“We’ve recycled over a hundred thousand pounds of plastic. We’ve made over 250,000 discs. And we are one of the smallest disc golf manufacturers. We’re still one of the little guys in the sport. If this is possible, I think there’s so much else that’s possible.”
