Many companies claim to be eco-friendly, but Pela takes it to the next level.
Electronics have become a necessity in our every day lives, and electronic waste goes hand in hand with using these devices. It's probably not possible or practical for you to just get rid of your electronics and go off the grid, but you can make smarter choices about your electronic accessories.
Meet the eco-friendly company Pela Case: they use flax as their base material instead of plastic to create what they call "flaxtic."
Pela meets every standard I have for a zero waste product:
- Nontoxic
- BPA, lead, cadmium, and phthalates free
- 100% compostable (industrial and backyard) which I will eventually test in my own compost pile!
- Low-impact manufacturing
- Plastic-free and recyclable packaging
- They work!
Pela is a charitable company, they are a member of 1% for the Planet, and they donate $3 to a charity for every phone bought with your referral link (here's mine, if you wish).
Since getting my Pela case I have dropped my phone countless times, and it has totally stood up, especially since most of my home is wood and tile (I do have a glass screen protector)! I also love the style and texture of the case. It's so soft and even if you get a colored one (mine is lavender) it still has this earthy look to it from the flax.
So, why should you care?
In 2016 Apple announced that they had sold their billionth iPhone. And they've only sold more since then.
In 2014 Business Insider conducted an informal survey of iPhone users and found that 86% of those surveyed used an iPhone case.
Since that was just a survey and not a study, lets be conservative and say that only 75% of iPhone users have a case. This would mean that as of July 2016 iPhone users have purchased more than 750,000,000 cases since 2007. And that's just assuming 1 case / iPhone, which is often not the case (hah!).
I'm not going to take a guess at how much plastic that is, but with the cases themselves and the plastic packaging on top of that, lets say it's probably significant.
So I'm not saying you need to get a new case right this second, but when you upgrade your iPhone, or decide the one you have is beat, consider buying from Pela.
You know you will eventually have to get rid of your case, so get one that can actually break down and return to the earth, instead of one that will last for potentially thousands of years, just because you needed it for 2.
My original Pela Case, for my iPhone 5
update 5/2018
Since I've been using my Pela case over a year I figured it's time for an update! My Pela case has continued to serve me very well! My phone, though I've completely put it through the ringer (hah!) is still operable, I haven't needed to order a new screen protector, though I drop my phone constantly, and my Pela case is holding up!
Since I bought from them in early 2017 it looks like Pela has seriously grown! They now offer cases for Androids and have been making cool special release cases with thinks like "save the waves" and turtles on them! This company really just gets me!
I'm hopefully going to upgrade soon from my iPhone 5 to a used iPhone 6ish (totally going for one of Pela's turtle cases if they're still available) and when I do so I'll try to actually compost my Pela case to see how long it takes to fully break down!
So as of now, my recommendation stands!
update 9/1/18
So my iPhone 5 finally died on me. To be honest, I went swimming with it, so this one's on me, not on Pela. My phone was on its way out anyway, and I was preparing to replace it soon.
I ordered a used iPhone 6 off of Gazelle, which also meant I got to order a new Pela case! I'd been eyeing their turtle cases for a while now, and wanted to be able to protect my new phone. And I have to say, the quality of their cases has increased dramatically since I ordered my iPhone 5 case back in 2017. It fits my phone better, is more snug, and the material is thicker so I think it provides even better protection now! And their cases continue to be shipped in a compostable package, completely plastic free!
We will see how my new case holds up, but I have high hopes for it!