Fairphone
OVERALL |
|
Owned |
NLD |
Rating |
![]() |
Fairtrade smartphones
Bas van Abel started a social enterprise in 2010 to produce 'smartphones with a social conscience' by improving the supply chain. Using conflict free minerals, building phones to last, providing a safe workplace and fair wages and addressing the lifespan of phone use, reuse and recycling, the first batch was launched in 2013.
Fairphone BV | NLD | website |
Company Assessment
PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
Fairphone BV | ||||
This 2016 scorecard by SOMO compares electronics companies on their policies and efforts regarding responsible mining and the elimination of child labour, with special attention to the mining of gold. This company is above industry standard on all 7 criteria.
[Source 2016][More on Human Rights]
Certified B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards; meet higher legal accountability standards; and build business constituency for good business.
[Source 2019][More on Governance]
This company received a grade of B in the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (Oct 2017), which assesses companies from the electronics industry across three impact areas: energy use, resource consumption, and chemical elimination. Of the 17 companies ranked, this company came first.
[Source 2017][More on Climate Change]
Milieudefensie and Friends of the Earth have assessed how open manufacturers of smartphones, tablets, laptops and game consoles are about the use of materials, water, land surface area and greenhouse gas emissions. Assessment also covered whether manufacturers are honest about the use of tin from Indonesia and whether they are prepared to address the abuses in the tin mines on Bangka in Indonesia, such as by participating in the IDH project (Sustainable Trade Initiative). This company received a 'green' rating, indicating they provide ample information on the use of raw materials and is helping to improve the situation in the tin mines on Bangka Belitung.
[Source 2015][More on Human Rights]
In 2017 engineers from ifixit.com disassembled and analysed a range of smartphones, tablets and laptops, awarding each a repairability score between one and ten. Ten is the easiest to repair. A device with a perfect score will be relatively inexpensive to repair because it is easy to disassemble and has a service manual available. Points are docked based on the difficulty of opening the device, the types of fasteners found inside, and the complexity involved in replacing major components. Points are awarded for upgradability, use of non-proprietary tools for servicing, and component modularity. Products by this company scored 10 points.
[Source 2017][More on Product Safety]
Rank a Brand searches the websites of brands for the answers to carefully targeted questions. From this they calculate sustainability scores based on the themes of environment, climate, labor issues, and transparency. Brands owned by this company received a 'B'.
[Source 2016][More on Sustainability Reporting] |
Some companies intentionally make their repair manuals unavailable, sabotaging local repair shops and forcing consumers to buy new products. This company makes its repair manuals available online.
[Source 2017][More on Product Safety]
This company is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (formerly the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), which helps companies address conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. The RMI provides information on conflict-free smelters and refiners, common tools to gather sourcing information, and forums for exchanging best practices on addressing conflict minerals. Membership is open to companies that use or transact in tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold (3TG). Founded in 2008 by members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.
[Source 2019][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives] |
Company Details
Company Structure | Social enterprise |
# Employees | 15 in 2014 |
Contact Details
Address | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Website | www.fairphone.com |
Products / Brands
Fairphone
Fairphone Smartphones |