Can Phone Cases Really Make Millions?

Ever felt guilty about tossing out an old phone case? It’s a tiny piece of plastic, but multiply that by millions of people, it becomes a huge problem.

That’s the problem Pela set out to solve.

They didn’t just create another eco-friendly product, but what gets is that they turned sustainability into a profitable business.

In a market full of cheap, plastic phone cases, Pela stood out by selling compostable ones. And not just any compostable cases - cases that looked good, felt premium, and had a strong mission behind them.

But here’s the real question:

How did Pela make money selling something that costs more to produce and market than regular phone cases?

The Big Idea:

Passive Choice → Active Movement

Before Pela, buying a phone case was just another boring decision. People picked one based on looks, durability, or price, but they never thought about the impact.

Pela changed that by turning something passive into an active choice. They didn’t just sell phone cases. They sold a way to reduce plastic waste.

Instead of making sustainability sound like an obligation, they made it a badge of honor. Owning a Pela case meant you made a real difference, not just buying another product.

This shift in positioning made Pela stand out in an industry where most brands compete on price, aesthetics, or durability. Pela competed on values - and that made their customers deeply loyal.

Let’s dive into the how behind their strategy.

Behind the Magic:

Sustainability As A Business Model

Most brands mention sustainability as a side note - Oh, by the way, we are eco-friendly! And Pela flipped that script. They made sustainability the reason people buy. Not just a feature. Not just a nice-to-have. But the core selling point.

And they didn’t just rely on people’s goodwill. They made their product so desirable that people were happy to pay a premium.

Here’s how they pulled it off.

1. They Educated Before Selling

Think about it. Before Pela came along, how many people were worried about phone case waste? Not many. Most of us buy a case, toss it when we upgrade, and never think about where it ends. It wasn’t something consumers saw as a problem at all.

So, instead of introducing their USP as an alternative, Pela created the demand by making people aware of the issue. Instead of saying, Here’s a compostable case, they said, Here’s why plastic phone cases are a huge problem.

For example:

They educated people first.

• They showed that people buy 1.5 billion phone cases every year.

• They pointed out that most cases end up in landfills or the ocean.

• They showed phone cases take hundreds of years to decompose.

But they didn’t stop at just presenting facts. They made it personal.

Instead of saying that plastic waste is bad, they framed it as: Your plastic phone case will still exist long after you’re gone. Do you really want to leave that behind?

Pela's educational content about plastic waste reached over 10 million people through social media in 2019, while its "Plastic-Free July" campaign (which has been active for years) in 2020 generated 2.3 million views.

For example: here’s a simple IG reel posted in 2024 aiming to drive people to participate in the campaign with giveaways.

pelacase

View more on Instagram

And what happens when what you share is damn good?

Pela's blogs about plastic pollution get average engagement rates of 4.2% (more than the industry standard), and their "Wake Up Wednesday" educational series on Instagram reached 5.7 million accounts in 2021.

This turned an invisible problem into something urgent. Once people understood the problem, Pela positioned themselves as the only real solution, and customers saw it as the only logical choice.

2. They Made Customers the Hero

Most brands talk about themselves - how they are eco-friendly, donate to charity, and how they are doing good for the planet. Pela took a different approach because people do not just want to buy things. They want to feel good about what they buy.

Look at what top brands say about it:

Pela mastered this by making the customer the hero. They made every customer feel like they were part of something bigger.

And they made purchase not feel like a purchase but a step towards an impact.

• Buying a Pela case = less plastic waste in the ocean

• Buying a Pela case = being a responsible consumer

• Buying a Pela case = supporting a company that donates to environmental causes

Pela’s messaging strengthened this idea constantly: You are not just buying a case. You are making a real impact. It wasn’t about Pela being the hero. It was about YOU, the customer, the one making a difference.

The result was - Pela's customer referral program grew by 300% in 2020, and UGC makes up 60% of their social media content, while their hashtag #PelaCase has been used over 200,000 times on Instagram.

And that’s why Pela’s customers were so vocal about their purchases on the internet and social media because they weren’t just showing off a product but their values.

The best part is that their "Pela Pioneer" program has over 50,000 active members who regularly share their sustainability journey.

Check out this post for example:

3. They Made Sustainability Look Cool

If you ask me, the biggest mistake eco-friendly brands make is thinking people will buy because it’s good for the planet. But the truth is that people don’t buy things just because they are sustainable.

Most consumers won’t sacrifice aesthetics, durability, or convenience for sustainability. But they sure buy things that look good, feel good, and make them happy. Pela understood that being eco-friendly isn’t enough.

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