Fairphone
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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 | ||||
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: B Corporation (2019)
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. Fairphone's 2019 and 2021 models scored 10 points.
Source: iFixit (2021) |
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. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: Greenpeace (2017)
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: Stop Child Labour (2016)
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: iFixit (2017)
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: RMI (2019)
This company is a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition), a non-profit coalition of electronics companies which supports the rights and wellbeing of workers and communities worldwide affected by the global electronics supply chain. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of RBA training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement in the social, environmental and ethical responsibility of their supply chains.
Source: RBA (2022) |
Company Details
Type | Social enterprise |
Employees | 15 (2014) |
Contact Details
Address | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Website | www.fairphone.com |
Products / Brands
Fairphone
Fairphone Smartphones |