Commown is a French cooperative feels strongly that the way the IT market is organised (with people urged to buy new at very frequent intervals) is unethical and unsustainable. Instead, they use a Product as a Service (PaaS) system that offers repairable and sustainable smartphones, PCs and audio equipment to private users for a monthly subscription.

The start-up was launched in December 2017 with private capital, and support from Alsace Active and La Nef to tackle the sustainability gap in the development and production of contemporary electronical equipment. Commown's economic model offers leases on the most sustainable hardware available on the market (Fairphones for instance are ethically sourced and designed for repairability, while personal computers are from repairable brands only).

Subscribers pay a set monthly fee to use the device but not own it. They therefore have the benefit of a device which comes with a contract covering repair and servicing. When hardware issues arise, Commown provides its subscribers with a replacement within 48 hours and repairs the individual modules itself. The device is covered by warranty for the duration of the contract, even where that exceeds the manufacturer's guarantee. If it is broken, the device is repaired or replaced. The battery, always a problem, can be replaced once a year. They'll even help you use it!

Customers deal with Commown directly, rather than the manufacturer, so they can speak to an actual person in French to explain the problem.

Commown also sells reconditioned smartphones and PCs.