A Case for Sustainability

Pela is a brand that has created one of the first 100% compostable phone cases. Their cases are plant-based and made from a combination of flax shive and biopolymers. They also offer other products, including Apple Watch bands and AirPods cases, for a variety of devices. What I find especially impressive is that sustainability is not the only focus of their products. Pela offers a variety of cute and modern designs, and customers can even customize their cases. Their cases are designed to be compostable at the end of their life, either through home composting, an appropriate composting facility, or Pela’s own return program.

Our mission to make sustainable products the new normal starts with a product that you hold everyday. Phone cases help to protect your investment (phones are expensive!) but they shouldn't be just another plastic product made with materials that could carry toxins into your home.

Our cases are tested to be free of BPA, lead, cadmium and phthalates. If we can make products at a higher standard to keep our family and planet safe, shouldn't we?

It’s one thing to have a strong mission and purpose, it is another thing entirely to create and nurture the team and community required to make this waste-free future a reality. Our core values, "4 C's" : Community, Creativity, Consciousness, and Courage.

This is my first time ever hearing about a compostable phone case, and I think Pela does an amazing job of creating something that is better for the planet without relying on the typical “sustainable” aesthetic. I think this is an example of good design because people sometimes associate sustainable products with looking cheapness or being lower quality. When I look at Pela’s cases, I would not necessarily be able to tell that they are made differently from the plastic cases that most people use. They are still cute, stylish, and designed to protect your phone. Since phone cases are something that people often like to switch out, creating an option that is both fashionable and compostable feels like a win-win. Pela shows that sustainable design does not have to mean sacrificing style or quality.

Reference

Pela Case. (n.d). Our Story and Mission. https://pelacase.com/pages/our-story?srsltid=AU7gw4WFrsAsC8PNpRRqaMlEYhNmGd8wF3Y0-JYA489PD9-bKr-R2xZc