You may not normally obsess over cell phone cases. But when you consider that 1. 5 billion of them, made associated with plastic, are tossed into the trash every year and end up in landfills, you may change your mind. In fact, 80% of the total amount associated with plastic ever produced lies in landfills today, waiting patiently to disintegrate over 1, 000 years.
This is why it’s exciting to see innovative case companies use unique materials and processes that allow them to tread lightly on the Earth. Some employ linseed plants, others flax or bamboo, and a few even make use of recycled plastic derived from CDs, fishing nets, and PET bottles. You also can find some mini works of art among the products.
One reason these companies stand above their peers is that will they’re being recognized by the most respected stewards of the land — such as B Corp, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Carbon Neutral, and Cradle to Holder, among others. Endorsements from these organizations are supremely tough to get, but if you’re able in order to, they give your brand instant credibility.
These watchdogs track, for example, whether the bamboo used in a phone case came from an endangered animal habitat or whether children were employed to harvest it — circumstances the average consumer might would never know. With the auspices of an FSC badge — or tips from our list — buyers can sleep better knowing they’ve helped make Earth a little greener.
Also: The particular best green phones: Lasting and eco-friendly smartphones
Tech specs
- Compostable
- Made entirely from waste linseed plants
- Cover printed with water-based inks
Based within Sweden, A Good Company checks off all of the boxes that make it the leader on this list. Its cases are usually beautiful and reasonably priced. Because they are made out of organically grown linseed plants sourced from a local farm, they are completely compostable. Good’s factory, the company said, uses renewable energy, little water, and no chemicals.
Printed with water-based inks, A Good Company’s cases are usually gorgeously rendered mini art pieces. Shipping is free, and import duties are already factored in. Plus, cases arrive in North America in just a few days.
The company has endorsements from many of the particular global temples of sustainability: It is a certified B Corporation, has a Forest Stewardship Council stamp, and is a Circular Economy company (you get 10 euros towards a new case if you mail your old one back). A Good Company even neutralizes its shipping footprint with carbon offsets.
Pros
- Very transparent about process
- B Certified Corp, Cradle in order to Cradle, The Vegan Society, FSC
- Cases are works of artwork
Cons
- Not widely available
- Limited models
Tech specs
- Made of plant-based bioplastic
- Compostable
- Textured grip
If not with regard to its pricing, Pela could have been at the top associated with this listing. It is the pioneer in compostable phone instances, having started its business over a decade ago. The design offerings are eclectic and cater to a wide array of phones.
Pela’s cases are made of Flaxstic: the proprietary combination of flax waste materials and a plant-based biopolymer that either can be composted in an industrial facility or even your backyard. Breaking this down at home will take six to 12 months to biodegrade. It has all the sought-after international standards that would make any company green with envy.
Pela’s cases are soft, can survive six-foot falls, and are free of harmful phthalates, BPA, cadmium, plus lead, which most plastic cases leach into the particular ground. They don’t come cheap, but they can be mailed back to the organization to be recycled regarding a 20% discount. Buying one also triggers a 5% donation in order to ocean conservation causes like Save the Waves Coalition, the Surfrider Foundation, and Oceana.
Pros
- Can compost in your backyard or in an industrial facility
- Wide range of colors and styles
- 6-feet drop protection
Cons
- Expensive
- Cannot be recycled
Technology specs
- Made of reused CDs as well as PET bottles
- Impressive 15-foot fall test
- Made associated with recycled Compact disks and DOG bottles
Remember all those N’Sync CD situations from yesteryear that you banished to your attic or your own basement? Well, toss them to Nimble, a company that will take the sturdy plastic plus re-engineer it into an attractive, recyclable clear case for your iPhone. It also mashes together three types of recyclable plastics, which include PET containers.
At a marked-down $25 the pop right now, Nimble’s cases are a steal, fortified by a two-year warranty. Nimble offers e-waste recycling for the telephone through Homeboy Electronics Recycling, a data-secure certified W Corp outfit that provides jobs to those facing systemic barriers to employment.
With 5% of its sales awarded to environmental programs such as the Carbon Fund, SeaSave. org, and Coral Reef Alliance, Nimble is a hard to beat choice for the climate-conscious consumer. If only the business made cases intended for Androids phones as well.
Pros
- Really strong, difficult to scratch
- 2-year guarantee
- Made of recycled CDs and FAMILY PET bottles
- Certified B Corp
Cons
- Doesn’t ship internationally
- Apple cases only
- Limited designs
Tech specs
- Produced entirely associated with abandoned fishing nets
- Comes with an optional, popsicle-like retractable handle
- Completely recyclable
It is enough of the feat that Spain-based Popsicase uses 40, 000 tons of scrap aluminum to make its instances as well as ghost fishing netting — which were abandoned in the oceans plus kill marine life every day.
Popsicase’s products go even further — they are simply stunning. Each collection, such as the Barcelona cityscape line or the particular undersea collection, is designed within collaboration along with an artist.
After the nets are usually collected, washed, and transformed into plastic pellets, Popsicase uses 50g of this particular recycled plastic and another 20g of discard aluminum in order to bring you a further-recyclable phone cover with an option to get a popsicle-like retractable handle that gives a person an enhanced grip. Support to Cradle certified, this compensates pertaining to the CO2 emitted while products are shipped to you. Unfortunately, Popsicase does not make situations for Android phones.
Pros
- Stunning artwork
- Cradle to cradle certified
- 25% discount in case you return your aged one
Cons
- Not really widely available
- Limited ways to recycle cases
- Only for iPhone
Tech specifications
- Built to breakdown in landfills and in drinking water
- Most cases are usually recyclable
- 6- in order to 10-foot drop protection, depending on the case
Toto-Toa is the particular trademarked miracle substance employed by US phone maker Pivet, allowing its cases to vanish into the soil inside under two years. It will be injected in to the non-toxic plastic that will forms the case, instantly making it irresistible to microbes — which then gobble up carbon plus secrete a good acid that eats the particular material directly into nothingness.
You can toss Pivet situation into your local landfill, unlike other compostable instances, or fall it straight into your recycling where possible bin. Either way, you’re doing the right thing. If you accidentally drop it into a river or the ocean, the particular microbes will still become able to do their job. In other words, there’s not much a person can perform to prevent this case from disintegrating.
Pivet has been given a seal of approval by product-testing and certification company Intertek. The Black-owned company created a Rosa Parks collection, named Nah, for Black History Month. One of its some other lines is in a startling blue hue, referencing the color that coral turns when it struggles to survive heatwaves caused by climate change.
Pros
- Most versatile self-destructing capabilities
- Tough to scratch
- Validated by global certification clothing Intertek
- Transparent about the process
Cons
- Caters to limited devices
- Needs more endorsements through eco agencies
A Great Company’s cases were chosen as our best green phone case. The organization achieved the highest worldwide certifications and standards that will measure social and environmental impact, offers beautiful, compostable cases for a modest price, is exhaustively transparent about both components used and also its production process, has a negative co2 footprint, works with a highly localized supply chain, plus offers excellent resources on its website to educate consumers regarding the sustainable eco-system.
|
Green mobile phone case |
Price |
iPhone + Android? |
Variety (Design + Colors) |
|
A Good Company |
$34. 99 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Pela |
$59. 99 |
Yes |
Indeed |
|
Nimble |
$49. 99 |
iPhones only |
No |
|
Popsicle |
$35 |
iPhones just |
Yes |
|
Pivet |
$35 |
Yes |
No |
Which green phone case in order to chose depends on your own priorities. You may be on the particular lookout meant for ones that consist of organic, compostable material, such as flax and linseed plants, or even you may prefer those that utilize recyclable plastics. Some case makers don’t design for Google android phones, while some that do may have limited models. A person may prefer a simple but elegant situation with one solid color or unique artwork. There’s something for everyone here.
|
Chose this particular green cell phone case…. |
If you need…. |
|
A Great Company |
The high-quality compostable case designed for a modest price |
|
Através da |
A large selection associated with attractive styles, colors, and phone models for compostable cases |
|
Perky |
A modern plus sleek recyclable case produced of Compact disks or additional plastics |
|
Popsicle |
A case with gorgeous artwork just for a moderate price |
|
Pivet |
A situation that can be recycled along with broken down in a landfill |
We scoured the landscape looking for self-described lasting, green telephone cases that will met the following criteria:
They had to have passed stringent accreditation by leading environment and social impact organizations. Case makers needed to end up being highly transparent about materials used plus their manufacturing process. Cases needed to be reasonably priced. They also had to demonstrate high aesthetics in artwork and design. These criteria experienced to end up being further bolstered by partnerships and commitments that promote sustainable living and a healthy planet.
Simply no, they are not the particular same. “Biodegradable” often can be a misleading term. Most biodegradable products do breakdown yet may, like plastics, take hundreds or thousands of years to do so. On the other hand, compostable items will fully break down inside a year or so, but will only perform so inside a proper composting environment.
Scan companies’ websites to see what kind of plastics their case are made of. A multitude associated with different plastic materials melded with each other often will not be recyclable. Check to see when the manufacturers allow the particular phone in order to be sent back to the company. This is the particular best possible outcome, which establishes a loop for a product, further iterations of which don’t require any additional resources (this is also dubbed cradle to cradle). Or check if the case could be tossed into the recycling bin; if so, it should have a recycle symbol on it. Look to see if the particular case has passed industry standards which will validate the production process.
Maybe. Look for the purpose of a Forest Stewardship Authorities (FSC) badge awarded to the company, which will certify the materials almost all have been sustainably plus ethically managed and harvested, or ask the company how it sources its materials.
There are a few that seem promising. However , they didn’t create our checklist mostly because of the particular absence of detail and transparency about components or procedures used — which the ones on our list did furnish and great detail. These types of companies did not appear in order to receive the environment and sociable impact certifications that the types on this listing possess.