OtterBox thinks it can do sustainable leather better than Apple with new cactus-based iPhone cases

One of Apple’s biggest flops in recent years has been the transition away from leather and to the abomination that is the new FineWoven material. OtterBox on the other hand is ready to give iPhone 15 and Apple Watch owners another way to ditch leather from their everyday carry with a new material of its own – cactus.

OtterBox today at CES 2024 is revealing a new lineup of accessories for your Apple setup. The company wants to show that sustainability doesn’t mean offering an inferior product, and is launching a new eco-friendly leather alternative that uses cactus instead. While these new accessories won’t be debuting until sometime later this spring, we are getting a first look at just what is going to be available come launch.

On the iPhone 15 front, there will be the new OtterBox Symmetry Series Cactus Leather cases. These covers meet DROP+ standards, which OtterBox claims is three times the protection as you’ll find on standard drop ratings. There’s the usual ring of MagSafe magnets for pairing with accessories or docking on chargers, too. Each of these cases will sell for $59.99 when they do ship later this year.

Alongside the cases, OtterBox is also going to be launching an Apple Watch band made of the same cactus material. The same will be true for a MagSafe wallet accessory, which will launch later this year at $39.99 and $49.99, respectively.

This unique new cactus leather material is made from the fibers and proteins harvested from the mature pads of the nopal cactus. You might know it better as the prickly pear cactus, though. On top of just being plant-based, using the new material also means that you can keep the actual succulent alive. There’s also the added perk of the cactus continuing to absorb CO2, and because it’s a succulent, the whole process already uses less water than with other plant-based materials. It all adds up to being a very sustainable approach to protecting your iPhone and Apple Watch.

Given that these accessories are all made to be better on the planet and from succulents, there’s a very appropriate set of earthy tones. The color palette across the OtterBox cactus leather collection consists of four different designs, including Noir Ash, Cactus Grove, Plum Lux, and Rich Adobe. All fun names given the focus OtterBox’s latest if you ask me.