Phone Cases that won’t Poison the Planet

The smart phone is everywhere you look these days. Generations are emerging that don’t know a world without it. People everywhere with a glow in the palm of their hand. I could go on about the environmental impact of phones, but let’s face it, they are part of the modern world’s day to day. At least companies like Apple have started a take back program to recycle precious materials. The sad reality is that people are changing their phones in as little as 2 years. But what about the now obsolete plastic phone cases that poison the planet for a 1000 years?

Phones get updated and plastic cases no longer fit the new model. Large companies produce phone cases out of cheap polluting plastics. They go straight to the trash once you get a new phone. That adds up to a huge amount plastic in landfills, waterways and oceans. The good news is that compostable phone cases have emerged.

Plastic Phone Cases that Poison the Planet

Plastic phone cases that poison the planet have created a huge waste problem. More than 400 million pounds of plastic are used to manufacture in excess of 1 billion-plus plastic phone cases every year. That’s right, more than a billion plastic phone cases are sold every year. Not to mention the ones that are made and never sold. The average phone case is used for less than 4 years before it’s thrown away, making its way into a landfill, waterways and oceans. 

Compostable Phone Case Options

They are many available on the market, some made from natural and renewable materials like cork, wood or rubber, others are made from Biocomposite and each of them has pros and cons. 

• Cork: Sustainable plastic alternative—cork  can be harvested multiple times without harming the tree. It has a unique texture, look and feel. It’s made with materials that are 100% biodegradable and compostable.

• Wood: Wood and Bamboo are biodegradable organic materials. They are durable and long lasting.

• Rubber: Rubber can be a sustainable plastic alternative but they are not all created equal. Some are sustainable and some are not and it may be very hard to tell the difference.

• Biocomposite: Biocomposites are a sustainable alternative to plastic, especially the ones that incorporate farming waste that would just typically be burned. The gold standard can go in your backyard compost pile.

Be aware, some of the natural and renewable phone cases are just a thin veneer over plastic and are not compostable.

Canadian company Pela’s phone cases stand out. They are behind the original compostable phone case.

Pela cases combine high style and low waste. They are made from a Biocomposite that includes farming waste. 

Pela compostable phone cases, designed to make a difference.

Pela is the world’s first compostable phone case. Designed to protect your precious phone from bumps and drops and when you’re done with it, throw it into your backyard compost. You can feel good since it returns back to the earth gracefully.

Pela started as an idea when founder Jeremy Lang was at the beach and his kid dug up some plastic waste. As an environmental consultant, he couldn’t shake the thought of the massive plastic pollution problem. It got him thinking about the fact that people replace their phones every 2 to 6 years but the obsolete plastic phone cases will be around for at least 1000 years.

Its’ business model is built around producing environmentally sustainable and beautifully designed products. They give back to 1% for the planet and also donate more to ocean and coastal cleanups.

Pela Compostable Phone Case Material

The Pela Case is made of compostable bioplastic elastomer and up to 10% flax straw materials. The material has been tested to be safe and free of phthalates, BPA, cadmium and lead and is verified to meet child safety standards.

It meets U.S. (ASTM D6400-04) and E.U. (EN 13432) standards for composting in an industrial composting facility and has a lower carbon footprint and lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional plastic. It can also be left to biodegrade in a home composting environment.

How it’s made

Pela Options

So many colours, designs and styles are available no matter your taste and brand of phone. They have cases for Iphone, Samsung, Google, Huawei and even OnePlus.

In the End

Every little bit counts. We all play our part. Avoid cheap plastic that is just trash in transition. An easy place to start, is changing to a compostable phone case when the time comes.

When companies and customers take responsibility for their footprint and products, we will all be in a better place.

We can all do our part to tackle the huge waste problem of plastic phone cases that poison the planet.

In my opinion, Pela offers the most stylish solutions without the waste. You can consume less but better!

Switch to compostable.

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Pat