Pela Phone Case Review: The Eco Friendly Compostable Phone Case

I have now had my Pela phone case for almost one year (51 weeks to be exact), and I wanted to do a review. I purchased this with my own money because I was looking into ways to be more sustainable and continuing my push into eco-friendly living. When I found this sustainable phone case which promotes itself as 100% compostable and eco-friendly, I was ready to try it. Check out my Pela phone case review to see if a sustainable compostable phone case is right for you.

While I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have a completely waste free lifestyle, especially not here in Seoul, Korea, I do think making differences where we can is important. There are numerous ways that we can make little differences that when done together, will have huge effects on not only our future, but our children’s futures. PS, all pics taken for this post were taken this week, the 51st week of wear and tear so you can see with your own eyes how well the case has held up.

Quick note before we get started on the Pela case review, if you have an old plastic phone case at home that you’ll be replacing with your Pela, don’t just throw it away! Pela actually has a “Tradsies” program. 1.5 billion phone cases are thrown out each year and less than 5% of all plastic even gets recycled while the rest ends up in landfills where it can take up to 1000 years for it to break down. Even then, it doesn’t break down fully and becomes micro-plastics that end up floating in the ocean.

SO, Pela has created a program called Pela 360 where they will send you an envelope to collect your old case, whether it’s a plastic one or one of their older Pela cases. If it’s a plastic case, they will actually upcycle it or ensure that it is recycled properly. If it’s an older Pela case, they’ll compost it for you.

Feel Free To Skip Around

• Facts To Blow Your Mind Real Quick
• My Review
  • Pros
  • Cons
• How To Dispose Of The Pela Case
• What I Want Next

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)

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Facts To Blow Your Mind Real Quick

• As of 2018, Apple had sold 2.2 billion iPhones worldwide. Apple actually stopped reporting their iPhone sales in 2018 but in Q4 of 2017 alone Apple sold 77.3 million. BUT, Apple only sells 1.8% of the smartphones that are sold globally.
• According to a survey with Business insider in 2014, 86% of users use an iPhone case… and that’s JUST iPhones!
• More than 1 billion plastic phone cases are sold every single year.
  • Think about how many phones you’ve had and then consider that every time there’s a new model, that means a new size, and so you’ve had to purchase a new case. And maybe you’ve purchased a couple as your taste in design and aesthetics change. Or maybe a new case for every season? It’s not just consumers though. Companies that produce phone cases have to discontinue lines as new cases in different sizes are sold which means they just toss out thousands of cases that can’t be sold anymore.
• More than 1 billion glass and plastic screen protectors are also bought and thrown out.
  • Screen protectors usually come in their own packaging which means double the packaging.
  • To make the glass screen protectors, manufacturers use 2 times the material.
  • Like cases, the screen protectors come in specific sizes which means they are being overproduced and then thrown out as soon as new sizes come out and the old styles can’t be used anymore.

The Pela company is a Canadian based Certified B Corporation and produces non-toxic, child-safe products. They use flax as their base material instead of plastic and use low-impact manufacturing so they produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Flax shive is an annually renewable byproduct of the flax oilseed harvest in Canada that is typically burned down at the end of each season. This means that the use of this waste byproduct gives local farmers an additional source of income and this product also gives the case a natural shock abosrption quality.

Considering all of the numbers above that I just spouted off, we know that phone cases will come and go just as the phones they’re on do, so why not purchase something that can actually break down and go back to the earth rather than investing in something that you’ll only use for a short time compared to the lifespan of that plastic product. It will take potentially thousands of years for that plastic case to break down and substantially shorter for the Pela case.

FYI: They have FREE global shipping on all orders. Now is the time to get your Pela case.

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My Review

I purchased the Limited Edition Bee Case which was in collaboration with artist Sarah Mitchell for $49.95. The honey gold color is super appealing and I’ve had so many compliments on it as well as the engraved honeycomb and bee design on the back. I’ve been using my phone case every day for 51 weeks. I would say it got slightly darker/discolored from the original purchase color but not to the point that it looks dirty or unappealing. The fit of the IPhone XS case was perfect for my phone and I’ve never had any issues with it coming off or moving. That’s my pretty short and to the point review, but let’s go more in depth.

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Pros:

1. Pela is producing a product that is eco-friendly and sustainable from start to finish.
   1. The product itself is made using Flax shive which is a plant-based biopolymer. It is compostable and biodegradable. You could literally toss this into your backyard compost pile. Although, if you live in a city like me and don’t even have a yard, not to worry, there’s another option for you which I’ll get into in a bit. In a commericial composter, this case takes just a few weeks to fully compost.
   2. Even in shipping, Pela uses minimal packaging and only what is absolutely necessary. The packaging material is 100% recycled paper envelope, important to note as many eco-friendly solutions often still come in plastic packaging… come on, that’s a huge no-no. Am I right?
2. Child-safe
   1. The material used to make Pela cases is free of phthalates, BPA, cadmium, and lead.
3. They give back.
   1. Pela is a member of the 1% for the Planet, which means they give 1% of their top line revenue to environmental nonprofits and advocacy.
   2. They also put $3.00 from a Pela case purchase toward charities like Amnesty International, Electronic Frontier Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Unicef, International Committee of the Red Cross, Free the Slaves, Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
4. Design design design
   1. I LOVE the designs. There is an array of colors to choose from. They are interesting but also an ode to environmentalism and the eco-friendly attitude.
   2. The case itself is flexible and not stiff. They’re actually designed so that they can fit multi-generations within the same size family. This means a medium case fits IPhone 6/6s/7 and 8.
   3. The holes for the charger, sound, On/Off switches, etc are all where they should be.
   4. Supports wireless charging which I use in my car.
   5. The case isn’t smooth but textured for good grip.
5. No excess weight.
   1. The cases are lightweight and don’t add bulk to the phone.
   2. Maintains the comfortable size of the phone.
6. Durable
   1. My phone has been dropped on all manner of surfaces sometimes by me, or my five year old… mostly my five year old, and I’ve had no scratches, dings, or cracks to speak of.

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Cons:

1. The Price Point
   1. Because most consumers are paying less for phone cases generally, the higher price point might make some leery. I tend to think investing in something that will last is ultimately better however.
2. Not Waterproof
   1. For me this hasn’t been an issue but if you’re someone that needs a waterproof case, this isn’t it.
3. Color Fading/Dying
   1. Like I said, my Pela case did get darker ever so slightly. The Pela website does state, “Peach, White, Lavender & Rose Quartz should not be placed in jean/denim pockets or in places where dark dyes may be present as our naturally porous material is susceptible to staining our lighter colored cases.” So that’s something to be aware of as a consumer.

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How To Dispose Of The Pela Case

While you can compost your Pela case, consider actually sending it right back to Pela who know what to do with it and can take care of it for you. The bonus of doing this is that you’ll also receive a 20% code for your next order. Pela will take care of all of the recycling so that they can produce more compostable and sustainable cases. They actually send you the 100% recycled envelope to put the case in when you want to send it back.

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What I Want Next

When I first purchased my Pela case, I had actually had a clear plastic one and glass screen protector already on my phone from the store. Generally the stores in Korea get you all set up with everything as soon as you’re there. BUT, after perusing the Pela website, I also noticed they carry a screen protector called Canopy. Canopy is made from a 100% all natural formula that is safe for the environment.

The Pela Canopy screen protector comes in a glass vial and once poured onto the phone increases the strength by ten times. One vial of their product can actually protect up to three phones. It’s an innovative way to support a waste free future and is definitely pulling me in!

Pela is doing more than just iPhone cases now. They have an entire Android line of cases and they’ve started producing sunglasses and airpod cases since I purchased a year ago. To see the strides this company is making and the innovative technology and use of products is really astounding and I hope more companies take note. Pela is successful because people WANT it to be. BE one of those people! Get your Pela case today!

If you’re interested in other sustainable brands, check out my favorite sustainable shoe brand, Allbirds! Or if you need some amazing baby onesies, swaddles and blankets that are sustainable, check out the baby essentials made from bamboo that Raph&Remy has come up with. There are some incredible companies out there doing incredible things.

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