Sustainable products: LifeStraw, Bellroy Digital Nomad, Pela phone case, Kobo’s Clara 2E
Small changes, big difference. These everyday gadgets are both innovative and environmentally friendly.
While some of the nation’s largest corporations are making strides towards sustainability and a creating a greener future for our planet, there are some easy, small-scale swaps that anyone can make. Technology companies are often seen as some of the worst offenders when it comes to e-waste and toxic substances, but there are a new array of products challenging the status quo and proving that gadgets can be both innovative and environmentally friendly at the same time.
Here are four gadgets that represent small changes and a big difference.
The water purifier
SHOP NOW: LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, $43.95 from J. A. Davey
Whether at home or on the go, drinking clean water is important and LifeStraw’s range of personal water filters are a no-brainer. The ultralight device purifies water by removing 99.9 per cent of bacteria with its long-lasting membrane microfilter, which can make up 4000 litres of water safe to drink. The LifeStraw lasts up to five years and protects not only against bacteria and parasites but also microplastics, dirt, sand and cloudiness. The device can be especially handy when travelling to places that don’t have drinkable tap water and save you from shelling out for plastic water bottles, some 1.3 billion of which are still used each day globally. Better still, for every LifeStraw product purchased, a school child in need receives safe water for an entire school year.
The work-from-anywhere kit
SHOP NOW: Digital Nomad Set, $143 from Bellroy
Bellroy’s Digital Nomad is the perfect option for those who can work from anywhere, offering a streamlined and attractive organisation option for a laptop and any associated plugs and dongles. Technology products aren’t often “built to last”, but Bellroyʼs certainly are. The Melbourne-based brand is a certified B Corporation, a group of companies with high social and environmental performance and transparent practices. Its pieces, including the Digital Nomad Set, are made with minimal waste and energy consumption, using recycled nylon and polyester, renewable plant fibres and ethically produced leathers. The set includes space for your cables, mouse, dongles, earbuds, powerbank and more, making it an efficient and effective way to keep your office truly mobile.
The look-good, go-good phone case
SHOP NOW: iPhone 13 Pro Case, $64.95 from Flora and Fauna
Canadian company Pela is tackling one of the electronics industry’s biggest problems – plastics. Pela’s range of eco-friendly phone and earbud cases, smartwatch bands and blue light glasses use 34 per cent less water than conventional plastic options to make and produce 80 per cent less waste. The company says its customers have prevented the equivalent of nearly 50 million plastic bags from entering the ocean, and its cases not only do good, but they look good, too. Pela is also a member of 1% for the Planet, which donates a portion of its profits to vetted environmental organisations.
The recycled plastic e-reader
SHOP NOW: Clara 2E eReader, $229.95 from Kobo Books
Choosing e-books over their paper counterparts is already a more environmentally friendly way to read. But Kobo’s Clara 2E makes the case even more compelling. The fully waterproof eco e-reader is made with 85 per cent recycled plastic, including 10 per cent that was bound for the ocean. Kobo says it hopes to stop 200,000 plastic bottles from reaching the waves every year and prevent a million CDs and DVDs ending up in landfill. The product’s packaging is also free of magnets and made with FSC-certified recycled paper that is printed with soy ink. The Clara 2E’s 16GB of storage fits approximately 12,000 e-books, which should keep you going for at least a little while.
