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This is Stuff We Swear By, a series in which our editors expound on an item they use (and love) on a daily (or near-daily) basis.
Item: Pela plant-based phone cases
Description: A soft, durable series of phone cases for iPhone and Android composed of bioplastics designed to break down in a suitable composting environment. Once you’re ready to pass on your Pela case, simply donate it to your backyard compost bin or industrial composting center where it will take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to return to the earth. I personally rock the Green Summit case that’s soft, engraved with pines and downright dapper when I pull it from my pocket.
How I use it: As I’m sure you can guess, I use my Pela case to protect my phone. To Pela’s credit, the bioplastic material is incredibly soft and oddly satisfying to rub when you’re lost in thought, so I guess this phone case is also my preferred version of a fidget spinner. The designs range from solid colors to simple prints to engravings, which all but guarantees you’ll find something that compliments your style.
Why I swear by it: How often do you give thought to your phone case? Let me answer that question for you: almost never. Every time your phone needs a new protective cover, you simply replace it with a similar version, tossing the old one in the trash. Meanwhile, millions of people around the world are doing the exact same thing every year, which means discarded phone cases are occupying landfills by the millions when they don’t have to. This case, however, is fighting a simple problem with an equally simple solution. Every time you replace it, you simply toss it in the landfill (or the backyard compost bin), comforted by the fact that your phone case isn’t contributing to the world’s demise.
Of course, your phone case is designed to protect your phone at the end of the day, and these cases do the job as efficiently as any other. I’ve dropped my phone countless times on hard surfaces and the Pela case has never failed me. What’s more, my case receives countless compliments from friends and strangers alike, so these cases have a habit of standing out too. In fact, I only discovered the brand when my roommate picked one up and I mentioned the design in passing, so don’t be surprised if others are drawn to your case as much as you are.
Not in the market for a new phone case? No worries. Pela also designs accessories for your other favorite tech items, from card keepers that attach to the back of your phone to Airtag holders to sunglasses and even a liquid screen protector. And don’t worry — all of their products are designed with the planet in mind.
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