Have you ever wondered if recycling could benefit something you use? LifeProof is turning to recycling ocean plastics for its latest smartphone cases.
Environmentally friendly practices are coming to more and more products lately. From Apple breaking down and reusing old phones in its new products to Nespresso recycling aluminium capsules for use in machine parts and Lenovo recycling plastic bottles for backpacks, doing a bit of recycling is a good initiative for companies to get behind.
We’re not really there in smartphones yet, not in the actual phone construction, but phone cases are beginning to see recycling, with organic components used there. Incipio has seen compostable materials used in case construction while EFM dabbled in recycled materials for its own phone cases, and both are being joined by another brand this week, albeit one with a slightly different approach to recycling.
LifeProof has announced that it’s using recycled ocean-based plastics for cases in its “Wake” range, a relatively slim set of smartphone cases available for the current model iPhones, including the iPhone SE, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, as well as Samsung’s Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra.
To make these cases, LifeProof has sourced ropes and nets found in the ocean from commercial fishing equipment, recycling this into a form of plastic called polypropylene, which is then used used in its Wake case construction. LifeProof says at least 85 percent of the cases are made from these plastics, effectively recycling discarded ocean plastics to go on and do something else.
The result is a case that is still fairly resistant, surviving drops up to two metres, but yet made from recycled plastics found in the sea, as the plastics go on to do another purpose.
“LifeProof’s existence has centered around two things: a love of the water and an innate need to give back,” said Jim Parke, CEO of LifeProof.
“We’ve been working on ways to make our lineup more sustainable for a long time, but it had to be done right,” he said.
The result is a $60 case which gets some durability thrown in with recycling, which could just seal the deal for some people out there.
You’ll find the LifeProof Wake in select stores, as well as on LifeProof’s website, available for a recommended retail price of $59.95.
