In my efforts to reduce plastic from my life, I never really considered buying a “plastic-free” phone case. Until I discovered Pela on Instagram (@pelacase). They claimed to sell sustainable, “compostable” phone cases.
A COMPOSTABLE phone case? Yeah right. I think you mean “biodegradable”.
Biodegrable is a term used a lot by companies to trick you into thinking something will compost back into organic matter (aka: dirt). It really means that the item is capable of decomposing at some point but usually needs help from biological agents such as bacteria to do so. So backyard composting a “biodegradable” product is a no-no.
No, it’s actually compostable. How?
According to their site (pelacase.com):
“The best range we can provide is that it will take 6 months to 2 years to biodegrade in a backyard compost environment. Compare this to traditional plastic that can take hundreds to thousands of years to breakdown (into harmful microplastics!) ”
I went ahead and bought a case for my second hand iPhone 6S. “Why not give it a try?” I thought.
I ordered a case in “Sea Shell” color, and it was shipped from one of their US shipping facilities (Utah or Kentucky). It arrived within about 1 and 1/2 weeks in compostable packaging. Not bad for free global shipping.
The case fits perfectly and you don’t have to worry about breaking it when you take it off your phone (ah-hem… Otterbox). I love the feel of it too. Not too bulky, and just enough grip.
I’m still skeptical about this whole “compostable” thing
But I think it’s commendable that Pela is actually doing something to reduce waste. And at the end of my phone case’s life, maybe I’ll just take advantage of Pela’s offer: “We have a Pela Cycle program where you can send us your old Pela Cases and we can recycle them to make another generation of Pela products! Simply email us at hello@pelacase.com with the subject “Pela Cycle” to get the process started and to thank you for sending your Pela back, you will receive a 20% discount code off your next order. “
UPDATE: After a year of heavy use, this phone case has proved itself to be a worthwhile investment! It’s protected my phone from a few minor drops, and it still looks as good as new!
Do YOU have a compostable phone case? Leave a comment!
Steward 