Otterbox vs Pela: how does a compostable phone case measure up?

I have officially ditched my Otterbox for a Pela Case (and you should too)!

I got my Pela case back in April of 2022, but I wanted some time to live life with the new case (and ensure it lived up to my standards) before sharing it with all of you. Here we are 9 months later and I’m I’m pleased to share that it exceeded all of my expectations!

I had grown increasingly frustrated with my Otterbox because it simply kept breaking. It came with a product guarantee, so I was able to get replacements for free.. But that wasn’t the reason I purchased an Otterbox. I bought the Otterbox because I believed it was a quality product that would last for as long as I had my phone. The idea was to keep plastics out of the landfill. What I didn’t realize I was signing up for, was an endless cycle of torn silicone, cracked plastic and frustrated email exchanges with customer service awaiting my replacement phone case.

Why should I continue to support and pay a premium for a product that clearly lacks quality and contributes to unnecessary waste?

I had seen and heard of a compostable phone case, but I worried that by compromising on the material, I would risk damaging my cell phone.. BOY WAS I WRONG!

I can say with certainty this phone case has seen at LEAST 100 drops (I’ve got butter fingers) on tile, cement, pavement and in our garden. It’s lived through 40+ degrees in the sweltering heat of our car and rain storms.. And it’s still alive! (The old otterbox would be broken by now. Again.)

But let’s be real – phone cases won’t last forever. So even when this one eventually bites the dust, I know that I can chuck it into my compost bin and turn it into something useful: soil!

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