PRODUCT REVIEW: Pela Case
Assessing the state of greenwashing
Back… goodness, I can’t actually remember how long ago it was, but I discovered a Canadian company called Pela Case that had been developing cute phone cases for smartphones that were completely biodegradable after use. I was thrilled about it at first, but I admit that I’ve been having my issues with the company and during the pandemic, they completely lost my loyalty. I thought it would be interesting to see how things are going today, since we are post-pandemic now. Have they undone their unforgivable foible? I was curious to find out.
As I understand it, the company was founded in Kelowna (I love Kelowna) in 2011 and I don’t remember how long ago it was, but I had what I think was a Samsung Galaxy 7, when I learned about them. When I realized that they offered biodegradable cell phone cases made from materials that were locally-sourced, I was all over this and immediately ordered two via a 2-for-1 discount, getting a seafoam turtle print and a yellow bee print. I loved the cases, they sat well in my hand, they were grippy so they didn’t slide off smooth surfaces, and if one of them got dirty, I put it in the dishwasher and swapped to the other. Admittedly, I was pretty disappointed by the limited selection (they only had options for Apple and Samsung products, and even then, not all models), as I was unable to get one for my partner’s LG phone. Nevertheless though, I understood the reasoning, as they were just getting started and it would’ve been crazy to publish a lot of models up front. I was a huge fan of the company and was amped to see that even Lady Gaga was a fan and had one (it didn’t seem like a sponsored ad, either). I was proud that a Canadian company was working towards a less plastic-filled future, especially when the company is based out of one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
Until the pandemic hit. I had completely smashed my phone in 2022, so I was looking for a new phone case for my new phone and so I went shopping at pelacase.com, only to discover that, not only had they still not expanded yet into other phone brands, but they had hiked up the price to a truly nonsensical degree (I don’t remember exactly, but if I recall correctly, it was somewhere between 60-80€ for an order of 1-2 cases). It’s one thing to increase prices during times of crisis, but what pissed me off though, was the lies and avoidance from the company. If you’re hurting during a problematic situation, like a pandemic, I fully support you and am sympathetic. However, when I emailed the company asking them how they could possibly be boasting that they are a locally-sourced company, while stating that it was global supply chain issues that was the reason for their price hike, and the company—who prior to that had always answered my emails immediately and openly—ignored my emails… not exactly painting a picture of being a legitimate, honest, and open business. It, frankly, seemed like a greenwashed money-grub, since they weren’t importing supplies (that, or they had previously lied about being locally sourced). This is when and how my loyalty died. It’s one thing to struggle and increase prices because of it, but at least be up-front about it. I remember my local bakery making toilet paper sized and shaped cakes and charged 50€ for them, saying it was to help them survive the pandemic—a crazy high price for a very small cake, but people wanted to help and those little funny cakes kept them alive while many other companies failed. Price hikes are sometimes mandatory in situations like a global pandemic. However, fully lying about the reasoning, or avoiding the question, in a way that was easily disprovable is embarrassing and I honestly think they should be ashamed of themselves. Even worse, you can hardly consider yourself a green company when you double your prices… all that does is encourage people to go buy cheaper plastic models… it’s a clear sign that you care more about your profits than actually being green.
Now, as of writing this, I decided to check out their website and see if they are still asking a ludicrous price for their cell phone cases and I am pleased to say that they did not keep their exorbitant hike. Perhaps the price hike fucked them even worse during the pandemic (40-80€ for a cell phone case is highway robbery). Nowadays, they actually seem to have a flex pay opportunity via AfterPay and they also have a Pay What You Can model, which offers prices of 18,17€, 20,76€, and 25,95€, which is considerably more reasonable. They also have options to get more discounts, like a 30% discount if you’ sign up for their mailing list. Overall, it seems that they have cleaned up their act, but the dishonesty and greenwashing still sit very poorly in my system.
Worth mentioning that they do have a few other products these days, like biodegradable sunglasses and mini-wallets. I’d love to see them partner up with summer festivals, for example, to sell sunglasses as festival merch, though Canada doesn’t have a festival scene the way Finland does, so it doesn’t surprise me that they hadn’t come up with that.
I don’t currently like their website either. There seems to be a modern issue with sales sites showing off every single imaginable option on the sales page, rather than grouping them into styles. For example, just clicking on their New Arrivals, I was spammed with so many options for the iPhone 15. Why don’t they just have “iPhone 15 models” and then you can scroll through the different patterns and color options? Having to look scroll through close to 800 postings in their New Arrivals section is pretty stupid, if you ask me (do they legitimately have 789 new products or are they just too lazy to remove things from that page after a while?). Then there’s another 666 options on the Best Sellers list… I have a hard time believing that they have that many best-selling products. So I can’t say I like their website, it’s design/layout, or the way things are grouped together.
Ultimately, if you are looking for a good quality cell phone case that’s biodegradable, I don’t know of any other alternatives and I can attest to the quality of the cases—they’re nice and they didn’t start biodegrading when they were in the dishwasher or anything like that. The product is sound… it’s just the company and their website that I’m not especially fond of, and in this day and age, I’m very picky about who I spend my money on. Perhaps I’ll give them another chance though, the next time I change my phone, because my current cell phone case is, unfortunately, awful, and I’m looking for something a little more ethical.
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