The smartphone industry is a rapidly growing market worth billions of dollars world wide. The estimates for the number of people that use smart phones globally varies amongst researchers, however, the number generally falls at over 2 billion people with this number expected to continue rising. Furthermore, smart phones are typically a high turnover product, with short shelf life, and newer in demand models coming onto the market every year or two. This creates an enormous amount of waste in the industry. For example in 2016 alone it was estimated that 1.5 billion smart phones were sold to users, many of these will no longer be in use due to the high turnover. The environmental impact of this cannot be denied.
It is not just the phones themselves that impact the environment (largely through the mining & processing of the precious metals used in the production), but also the accessories that come with the phones. One such accessory is the phone case. Every time a new make/model comes onto the market, the shape and layout is slightly different from the earlier model, meaning your previous phone case is now useless. Now remember that figure from 2016 of 1.5 billion smart phones being sold to users? The same estimate has been provided for the number of phone cases being sold each year with the majority being made from non-renewable sources such as plastic! Now what other options are there for smart phone users? Your phone needs protecting and a case is one sure way to reduce the risk of damage. A great new product that I recently came across is the Pelacase. The Pelacase is a largely plant based product comprised of a compostable bioplastic elastomer and flax straw materials. Now as the cases are compostable, the company encourages users to compost these at the end of their life, but they also recognise not all people have the capability to compost at home and many local councils do not provide composting services. To counter this, Pelcase offer a Pela Cycle Program where users can forward their phone cases back to the company for processing and in return they offer discounts on future products! By supporting this company you are also helping keep oceans and coastlines around the globe clean and healthy as Pela are a member of 1% for the Planet, donating to worthwhile causes each year. So just in CASE you feel like starting your eco-friendly journey, why not make a start with a product you would use on a daily basis!
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AuthorMy name is Garry and I am extremely passionate about the environment. I have completed my BSc. Conservation and Wildlife Biology with First Class Honours and have worked in the Environment sector since 2009. Archives
October 2019
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Local Food Initiative, mitchell haindfield, everyoneisgone, Montgomery County Planning Commission, Takashi(aes256), ilyayakubovich.com