Today is Earth Day and it seems like everyone is doing their part to make the world a little cleaner, greener, and more sustainable. As a tech website, it’s often difficult to remark about a product’s environmental impact when most are made from difficult-to-recycle materials, toxic batteries, and require electricity to run. It may be impossible to make your tech products eco-friendly, but it’s not too difficult to find stylish, protective, and earth-friendly accessories to keep your electronics safe and sound. We have written about a few of these iPad accessories before, but we wanted to take advantage of Earth Day to highlight some of our favorite eco-friendly iPad and iPad 2 cases. There’s a green iPad case out there for everyone, whether you prefer classic or quirky, and don’t forget…every little effort makes a difference.
A Produkt Kork iPad case – About $72
This simple and lightweight protective iPad case is made of recycled and recyclable natural cork material, which is a sustainable resource. The cork naturally cushions your iPad from any falls, and cutout ports make sure that you always have access to your iPad’s important features.
Nau iPad Stash – $60
This case has a classic portfolio design with a tab closure and several small pockets on the inside for business cards and a passport. The Stash is made from 100 percent die-cut reclaimed wool felt, which is sustainable and gives the case a cozy feel. The front cover also folds back to create a handy viewing stand.
Keen Harvest II iPad Sleeve – $15
If you don’t like the frills and pockets of other cases, this simple case from Keen might be a good way to go. This plain protective sleeve is made from repurposed neoprene and provides protection in a very slim profile, perfect if you like to throw your iPad into different bags on an everyday basis.
Colcasac Uintah iPad Sleeve – $40
If you like both the idea and look of something earth-friendly, this sleeve from Colcasac has a natural fabric look with a snuggly soft lining to protect your ‘pad. The Uintah Sleeve, which has a velcro flap closure and a small front pocket, is made from heavy duty 20 oz hemp canvas. The un-dyed hemp is grown and sustainably-harvested in rural China, where it grows without pesticides. The sleeve is available in sizes to perfectly fit your iPad, iPad 2, or iPad 2 with Smart Cover.
Freitag F23 iPad Sleeve – about $110
These colorful iPad sleeves are made from recycled and repurposed truck tarpaulins. The sleeves have a soft velvet lining to protect your iPad and a quick pull strap that was inspired by parachutes. These sleeves are one-of-a-kind and are available in all kinds of colors and prints.
Substrata Tabletop iPad case – $85+
This stylish case from Substrata is available in birch and walnut wood finishes with leather closures reclaimed from local scrap. The lid controls the iPad screens on/off function and an integrated stand allows for six different viewing positions. A microsuede liner keeps everything protected and the company even uses recycled packaging materials for shipping. For every purchase, $3 goes to humanitarian and reforestation efforts in locations where the company sources wood.
Plaid Doctrine iPad Sleeve – $69
This sleeve comes in patterns for the more adventurous and has two large front pockets for carrying everything from your charger to a small pair of headphones. The colorfully-patterned fabric is made from recycled bottles and is resistant to both water and stains, a bonus if you are on the messy or clumsy side. The sleeve is foam padded, lightweight, and also lined in recycled ripstop nylon for added protection. They also offer free shipping on all purchases. Win, win.
Grove iPad 2 Case – $99+
If you’re a fan of Apple’s Smart Cover for the iPad 2, but prefer something a little more eco-friendly, this customizable case from Grove is a great alternative. This thin case for the iPad 2 is made from sustainable bamboo and domestic vegetable-tanned leather, which contains none of the toxic heavy metals used in most leathers. Both the bamboo and leather are available in two different colors for mix and match possibilities, and the magnetic leather cover is offered in several artist designs or can be completely customized.
