If you're looking for alternative eco friendly tech and accessories to the usual stuff that you might buy, here are five products I plan on purchasing this year to improve my eco efforts and support some great brands.
Pela Compostable Phone Case (Bee Edition) - $49.95
An easy one to start with is to add a Pela phone case to your collection of covers. The Pela case is made of Flaxstic®, which is comprised of compostable bioplastic elastomer and flax straw materials. The material is free from phthalates, BPA, cadmium and lead, and meets child safety standards in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Best of all, the cases are 100% compostable so can go straight into the garden compost rather than landfill. Pela also offer some limited edition cases in collaboration with charities such as Oceana ME to WE.
Pela are offering a buy one get one free deal on all cases for a limited time.
Fairphone 3 - €450
We’re pretty good at reusing mobile phones in our household (and buying refurbished models when needed) but I really like the sound of Fairphone. Since 2013, Fairphone have been developing more sustainable and longer lasting smartphones. From an upfront supply chain to some impressive awards including Fairtrade gold certification, Fairphone is one to support.
Their latest model, the Fairphone 3, comes with a 12MP camera, 64GB internal storage, Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 and runs on Android 9.0. The phone doesn’t come with accessories (they can be ordered separately if necessary) which is a nice touch as I am sure I’m not alone with a drawer full of unused chargers and cables.
Smashed screen? Broken camera? Fix it yourself! The Fairphone has been designed with this in mind so need for expensive repair services or ditching the phone altogether. Get your screwdriver out and fix it yourself. There's also an option to get up to €75 back when you buy a Fairphone 3 and trade in your old handset for recycling.
Rise Infinity Solar Charger - £33.99
Solar powered chargers have been around for many years but didn't take off as much as they should have with consumers. Charge times and power output have improved since then (as have consumer attitudes) so this tech deserves a second wind. The Infinity Solar Charger by Rise looks a nice piece of kit - pocket friendly (in size and price) and packs a built-in 8000 mAh battery which at capacity is enough to recharge your phone 3 times.
Pagora Slimline Inner Tube Padded Vegan Laptop Bag - £78
Handmade and using recycled rubber from tyre inner tubes, this bag is suitable for a 13 inch laptop or A4 notebook. Given the material, you can worry less about dropping your bag but of course being rubber, it's only available in the once colour (black).
Paguro have a nice range of products using recycled and repurposed materials. Take a look at paguroupcycle.com
Black + Blum Eau Good Water Bottle - £19.95
I play a lot of tennis and use water bottles on a regular basis. I usually buy cheap, plastic bottles so it's time to change that habit. The Black + Blum looks ideal. The 800ml bottle is made from Tritan™ and comes with a natural cork and silicone stopper. The stand out element is the Binchotan charcoal that comes with the bottle. According to the B + B website, the Japanese have been using this material for centuries to soften water, add good minerals and absorb unwanted tastes and odours, such as chlorine.