AppleCare+ basically makes it so having a case or screen protector isn't a requirement for me. I was actually only using a screen protector for about a year, but what I found was they actually are more fragile than the phone's screen itself. I was going through them every 2-3 months. So about a year ago I stopped using screen protectors as well and have dropped the phone many times like how I dropped it with the screen protector and the screen has been fine.

Sure I have some scratches on the screen, but so what? If the front or back glass shatter, it's $29 to fix.

Probably less environmental impact to replace a protector than the touch-capacitize screen. And don't have to make repair appointments and wait.