In the world of eco-friendly products is the new startup called Open Mind Developments. Created in the prairie province of Saskatchewan, this startup’s products use a proprietary flax fibre strengthened biopolymer. Their plant-based petroleum-free products are an excellent alternative to plastic, do not contain bio-accumulative toxic chemicals and are biodegradable.
With ties to the University of Saskatchewan, Open Mind Developments has been to date working with the industrial sector to provide plastic-free injection moldings for their machinery. Their latest venture into the commercial market is the PELA Case for the iPhone 4.
According to the PELA Case website (http://pelacase.com), by 2011 more than 970 tonnes of conventional plastic iPhone cases will be sold in North America. Considering that most of these cases are made oversees in Asia, not only do we pay locally for their 200-300 years of decomposition in our landfills but we also pay globally for the carbon emissions associated with hauling these products across the Pacific.
Although this case benefits from the natural shock qualities of flax fibre, it is by no means meant for protection against major mishaps such as dropping, smashing etc. It’s meant for protection against normal wear and tear only. Priced at less than $30 CAD and with a 1 year warranty, this eco friendly product is a must have item for anyone who is looking for an eco-friendly, low impact case for their iPhone.
This smooth feeling case has beveled edges and comes in three different colors – black, natural brown and pink. As icing on the cake, the PELA case smells like coffee (or graham crackers depending on your olfactory hardware)! The cases are now available online through the product website but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in malls soon.
2 Comments
The less plastic dependent we are the better.
Exactly!! Thanks for commenting PlanetGoddess