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The 5 best green phone cases: Sustainable and eco-friendly brands
You may not normally obsess over phone cases. But when you consider that 1.5 billion of them, made of 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 of 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 use 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 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 Cradle, among others. Endorsements from these organizations are supremely tough to get, but if you're able 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 best green phones: Sustainable and eco-friendly smartphones
Tech specs
- Compostable
- Made entirely from waste linseed plants
- Cover printed with water-based inks
Based in Sweden, A Good Company checks off all of the boxes that make it the leader on this list. Its cases are 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 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 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 to Cradle, The Vegan Society, FSC
- Cases are works of art
Cons
- Not widely available
- Limited models
Tech specs
- Made of plant-based bioplastic
- Compostable
- Textured grip
If not for its pricing, Pela could have been at the top of this list. It is the pioneer in compostable phone cases, having started its business over a decade ago. Its design offerings are eclectic and cater to a wide array of phones.
Pela's cases are made of Flaxstic: a proprietary combination of flax waste and a plant-based biopolymer that either can be composted in an industrial facility or your backyard. Breaking it 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, and lead, which most plastic cases leach into the ground. They don't come cheap, but they can be mailed back to the company to be recycled for a 20% discount. Buying one also triggers a 5% donation 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
Tech specs
- Made of recycled CDs as well as PET bottles
- Impressive 15-foot drop test
- Made of recycled CDs and PET bottles
Remember all those N'Sync CD cases from yesteryear that you banished to your attic or your basement? Well, toss them to Nimble, a company that will take the sturdy plastic and re-engineer it into an attractive, recyclable clear case for your iPhone. It also mashes together three types of recyclable plastics, which include PET bottles.
At a marked-down $25 a pop right now, Nimble's cases are a steal, fortified by a two-year warranty. Nimble offers e-waste recycling for your phone through Homeboy Electronics Recycling, a data-secure certified B 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 company made cases for Androids phones as well.
Pros
- Very strong, tough to scratch
- 2-year guarantee
- Made of recycled CDs and PET bottles
- Certified B Corp
Cons
- Doesn't ship internationally
- Apple cases only
- Limited designs
Tech specs
- Made entirely of abandoned fishing nets
- Comes with an optional, popsicle-like retractable handle
- Completely recyclable
It is enough of a feat that Spain-based Popsicase uses 40,000 tons of scrap aluminum to make its cases as well as ghost fishing nets -- which were abandoned in the oceans and kill marine life every day.
Popsicase's products go even further -- they are simply stunning. Each collection, like the Barcelona cityscape line or the undersea collection, is designed in collaboration with an artist.
After the nets are collected, washed, and transformed into recycled plastic pellets, Popsicase uses 50g of this recycled plastic and another 20g of scrap aluminum to bring you a further-recyclable phone cover with an option for a popsicle-like retractable handle that gives you an enhanced grip. Cradle to Cradle certified, it compensates for the CO2 emitted while products are shipped to you. Unfortunately, Popsicase does not make cases for Android phones.
Pros
- Stunning artwork
- Cradle to cradle certified
- 25% discount if you return your old one
Cons
- Not widely available
- Limited ways to recycle cases
- Only for iPhone
Tech specs
- Built to breakdown in landfills and in water
- Most cases are recyclable
- 6- to 10-foot drop protection, depending on the case
Toto-Toa is the trademarked miracle substance employed by US phone maker Pivet, allowing its cases to vanish into the soil in under two years. It is injected into the non-toxic plastic that forms the case, instantly making it irresistible to microbes -- which then gobble up carbon and secrete an acid that eats the material into nothingness.
You can toss Pivet case into your local landfill, unlike other compostable cases, or drop it into your recycling bin. Either way, you're doing the right thing. If you accidentally drop it into a river or the ocean, the microbes will still be able to do their job. In other words, there's not much you can do 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 line, named Nah, for Black History Month. One of its 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 outfit Intertek
- Transparent about its process
Cons
- Caters to limited devices
- Needs more endorsements from eco agencies
What is the best green phone case?
A Good Company's cases were chosen as our best green phone case. The company achieved the highest global certifications and standards that measure social and environmental impact, offers beautiful, compostable cases for a modest price, is exhaustively transparent about both materials used as well as its production process, has a negative carbon footprint, works with a highly localized supply chain, and offers excellent resources on its website to educate consumers about the sustainable eco-system.
Green phone case | Price | iPhone + Android? | Variety (Design + Colors) |
A Good Company | $34.99 | Yes | Yes |
Pela | $59.99 | Yes | Yes |
Nimble | $49.99 | iPhones only | No |
Popsicle | $35 | iPhones only | Yes |
Pivet | $35 | Yes | No |
Which is the right green phone case for you?
Which green phone case to chose depends on your priorities. You may be on the lookout for ones that consist of organic, compostable material, such as flax and linseed plants, or you may prefer those that utilize recyclable plastics. Some case makers don't design for Android phones, while some that do may have limited models. You may prefer a simple but elegant case with one solid color or unique artwork. There's something for everyone here.
Chose this green phone case…. | If you need…. |
A Good Company | A high-quality compostable case for a modest price |
Pela | A large selection of attractive designs, colors, and phone models for compostable cases |
Nimble | A modern and sleek recyclable case made of CDs or other plastics |
Popsicle | A case with gorgeous artwork for a modest price |
Pivet | A case that can be recycled as well as broken down in a landfill |
How did we choose these green phone cases?
We scoured the landscape looking for self-described sustainable, green phone cases that met the following criteria:
They had to have passed stringent certification by leading environment and social impact organizations. Case makers needed to be highly transparent about materials used and their production process. Cases needed to be reasonably priced. They also had to demonstrate high aesthetics in artwork and design. These criteria had to be further bolstered by partnerships and commitments that promote sustainable living and a healthy planet.
Is biodegradable the same as compostable?
No, they are not the same. "Biodegradable" often can be a misleading term. Most biodegradable products do breakdown but may, like plastics, take hundreds or thousands of years to do so. On the other hand, compostable products will fully break down in a year or so, but will only do so in a proper composting environment.
What should I look for in a recyclable phone case?
Scan companies' websites to see what kind of plastics their case are made of. A multitude of different plastics melded together often will not be recyclable. Check to see if the makers allow the phone to be sent back to the company. This is the 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 can be tossed into the recycling bin; if so, it should have a recycle symbol on it. Look to see if the case has passed industry standards that will validate the production process.
Are organic materials like wood, hemp, and bamboo used in cases examples of sustainable products?
Maybe. Look for a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) badge awarded to the company, which will certify the materials all have been sustainably and ethically managed and harvested, or ask the company how it sources its material.
Are there alternative green phone cases worth considering?
There are a few that seem promising. However, they didn't make our list mostly because of the absence of detail and transparency about materials or processes used -- which the ones on our list did furnish and in great detail. These companies did not appear to receive the environmental and social impact certifications that the ones on our list possess.