Fairphone created the world's first ethical, modular smartphone
Fairphone aims to create positive social and environmental impact from the beginning to the end of a phone's life cycle. In addition to using fair materials and providing good working conditions, this includes:
Long-lasting design
Fairphone is fighting against a market trend where the average phone is replaced every 18 months, creating a huge environmental impact.
Reuse and recycling
Fairphone sells spare parts and offers repair tutorials to help make your phone useful for as long as possible. The take-back programme supports the reuse/recycling of old phones. Fairphone is also researching the best way to recycle its phones by making them easier to dismantle. It is also working with partners to improve local collection efforts in countries struggling with electronic waste.
Product-as-a-Service
Fairphone has worked on developing innovative business models in partnership with Circle Economy, Sustainable Finance lab and a set of financial, legal and supply chain advisors. The Circular Phone report, released in 2018, provides practical answers to common financing pitfalls for circular businesses, using Fairphone as the real-life example.
- Fairphone designs and produces innovative smartphones that are designed to be long-lasting, repairable, use conflict-free tin and tungsten and have a transparent supply chain whose environmental footprint is minimal.
They recently issued earbuds which are repairable and have replaceable batteries.