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.
Company Assessment
(Last updated Nov 2024)
Praise
Criticism
Information
Fairphone BV
Praise
Criticism
Information
Repairability of devices
Engineers from ifixit.com disassembled and analysed a range of consumer electronics products, 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. Each device is scored based on how difficult and time-consuming it is to disassemble and reassemble the product to fix or replace critical components. Points are docked where proprietary tools are needed, and points are awarded for comprehensive service manuals and wide availability of parts. Phones released by this company in 2023-2024 scored 10 points out of 10.
Source: iFixit
(2024)
Certified B Corp with score of 122.4
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. The B Impact Assessment measures a company's practices and outcomes in five areas: governance, workers, community, the environment, and customers. This company has a B Impact Score of 122.4 and has held B Corp Certification since April 2015. The median score for businesses is 50.9, with a score of 80 required for B Corp Certification.
Source: B Lab
(2024)
B in Guide to Greener Electronics
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)
Child labour in gold mining
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)
Repair manuals online
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)
Responsible Minerals Initiative member
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)
Responsible Business Alliance member
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
Products / Brands
Fairphone
Fairphone
Smartphones