According to Oceanconservancy.org “Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our oceans on top of an estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic that already circulates our marine environments.”
That is a lot of rubbish consisting of plastic straws, bags and other unnecessary waste that is damaging the ocean ecosystem and killing sea life. We all need to do our bit in cutting down on that waste and save our planet.
One company is going out of its way to turn the tide on the damage done to our waterways and at the same time protecting potentially your most valuable electronic gadget, your mobile phone.
LifeProof have launched a new phone case line called WAKE that is made of at least 85% recycled ocean-based plastics. As LifeProof CEO Jim Parke says “LifeProof’s existence has centred around two things: a love of the water and an innate need to give back, with this new case and the charitable partnerships we’ve formed, we’re not only creating products that help ensure a longer, repurposed life for plastics from the fishing industry, we’re supporting water organizations that can make an even larger impact than we would be able to alone”.
So just how to they get the plastics from the oceans to create these cases?
LifeProof sources commercial fishing equipment like ropes and nets which have been let loose or discarded in the ocean. The resulting polypropylene is both strong and durable, forming the foundation for WAKE, the slimmest LifeProof case. WĀKE is drop tested up to 6.6 feet (two meters) and sports a raised, bevelled edge to help keep the screen safe from front-facing drops.
Testing the case out has been really pleasing as well. I’ve tested the case for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and it fits really well. The grip on the ribbed surface of the accessory is fantastic when you are holding your device and doesn’t get caught when you are trying to slide it into your pocket. This can be really frustrating on other phone cases that use a rubber on the exterior for gripping, not the WAKE, it’s one solid piece of protection.
Being one piece as well means it just clips onto your phone, so no need for instructions like some other models. It’s really super thin which I appreciate because I like to buy a big phone, but don’t want to have a massive case for it as well, it’s a phone, not a laptop I don’t want to carry it around in its own bag.
The design also doesn’t have a plastic screen protector, I think this is great, it allows you to use the phone as it was intended because most phones are using super-strong gorilla glass now and additional screen protection can just cause issues with the touch screen sensitivity. If you are wanting to add one on your phone as well, make sure you check to see that it is touchscreen compatible otherwise you just render your device useless. On this accessory, the lip edges are raised ever so slightly to allow protection to your screen if you drop it.
If you are into wireless charging, then you’ll be glad to know that WAKE is QI charge compatible. It must be the slim design but I haven’t had to wiggle the device around on the pad to find the sweet spot for charging, or maybe I’m just finally getting good at it.
One of the features you’ll probably only hear about here is the side buttons. I was just really impressed with how they form fit so well and actually create a better user experience than the actual buttons on the device.
I had the WAKE Neptune (blue/green) and the Black, but I instantly fell in love with the colour combination on the Neptune. There’s also a “Down Under” version that is Green and Orange. All of which feature the wave-like lines on the back of the phone that are a unique and practical design.
The price is also one of the more affordable phone cases on the market at around $59.95, a small price to pay to protect your $2,000 handheld investment. Plus $1 of that goes to one of the water-conscious nonprofit partner’s post-purchase.
To further extend the use of WĀKE cases after their serviceable life is through, it has also created the LifeCycle program – simply send the product back, and LifeProof will repurpose the materials and give them another life.
This has to be the most environmentally friendly phone case I’ve ever used and the thing that makes it even better is that it hasn’t compromised the integrity of the product itself. Like the headline reads, Save the Planet and your Phone, it just makes sense to do both.
