As it makes a push for environmental sustainability, Boulder phone accessory company PopSockets has launched a new plant-based phone grip.
The company’s new PopGrip Plant is made with corn starch, castor beans and canola oil, retailing for $15 on the company's website.
This product release comes two years after PopSockets developed a plan to reduce the company's carbon footprint by sourcing and testing recycled and compostable materials for its accessories.
The company’s research revealed that a compostable product would still produce methane gases and emissions, PopSockets pivoted to a plant-based plastic.
This first iteration of PopGrip Plant is 35% plant-based: The top is 56% corn starch, the accordion is 52% canola oil and the connector hub is 70% castor beans.
"At PopSockets we are committed to a sustainable future." PopSockets CEO David Barnett said in a statement. "We're focused on not only product innovation but also partnerships that offer short- and long-term solutions for carbon reduction. We expect to continually improve over time, and a key part of our efforts will be an increase in the use of plant-based materials throughout the entire PopSockets product line."
Currently, the PopGrip Plant comes in two colors, Ice Blue and Light Jade, with additional styles launching this fall.
Going forward, PopSockets said it has committed to “continuing the research and testing necessary” to increase its plant-based product development.
"This is just the beginning for PopSockets — we are continually raising the bar on our operational sustainability objectives to achieve a dramatic reduction in our carbon footprint over the next few years and facilitating activism as a lifestyle," said Jennifer Forman, director of corporate citizenship at PopSockets, in a statement.
After launching from Barnett’s Boulder garage in 2014, PopSockets has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., landing at No. 2 in the 2018 Inc. 5000 list. In that ranking, the company reported $169 million in 2017 revenue, up 71,423% from 2014.
