This is the part of the category with the loosest language, so here is what each word means when somebody has to stand behind it.

Compostable

A plant-based shell that breaks down under industrial composting conditions: sustained heat, moisture and time. It is a real material difference and it is not a garden-bin product.

Before specifying one, check that an industrial composting route actually exists where the cases will end up. If it does not, the claim is decorative.

Biodegradable

The loosest of the three, because almost everything biodegrades eventually. Without a stated timeframe and conditions the word carries no information at all.

We do not use it on its own, and we would treat a supplier who does with caution.

Recycled

A shell made from diverted polymer, with a percentage you can state and a supply chain that can be evidenced. It behaves exactly like a conventional case.

For most buyers, and for almost every procurement process, this is the most defensible environmental claim available in this category.

Packaging counts too

A compostable case in a shrink-wrapped polybag inside a laminated box is a mixed message that a procurement officer will notice.

Plastic-free packaging is available and cheap; if the case is being bought for its environmental story, buy the packaging to match it.

Get it in writing

Material, recycled percentage, disposal route. We put all three on the quote so they can be cited in a report rather than paraphrased from a product page.

A claim nobody can check is worth nothing, and it is worse than nothing if somebody checks.