Fairphone is a Dutch
electronics manufacturer that designs and produces
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s with the goal of having a lower
environmental footprint
The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounti ...
and better
social impact Social impact may refer to:
* Social impact assessment
* Social impact theory
* Social influence
Social influence comprises the ways in which individuals adjust their behavior to meet the demands of a social environment. It takes many forms and c ...
than is common in the industry. In particular, the company aims to minimize the use of
conflict minerals
The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a history of conflict, where various armies, rebel groups, and outside actors have profited from mining while contributing to violence and exploitation during wars in the region. The four mai ...
in its devices, maintain fair labor conditions for its workforce and suppliers, and allow users to
maintain their own devices. The company was founded in 2013 as a
social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.
Social enterprises ca ...
with the support of the
Waag Society, and is based in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, the Netherlands.
, the company's most recent model is the
Fairphone 4
Fairphone 4 is a smartphone designed and marketed by Fairphone. It succeeds the Fairphone 3+. It was announced on September 30, 2021, and available for order from October 25, 2021.
Major upgrades from the predecessor include bigger display, bet ...
, a
modular smartphone
A modular smartphone is a smartphone made using components that can be independently upgraded or replaced as modules. This aims to reduce electronic waste, lower repair costs and increase user comfort.
The most important component is the main boar ...
which supports 5G connectivity, has dual 48MP cameras with
optical image stabilization
Image stabilization (IS) is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure.
Generally, it compensates for pan and tilt (angular movement, equivalent to yaw and pit ...
, an
IP54 rating and
MIL810G drop test certification. It's only being sold in Europe. The purpose of modularity is to make the phone easily repairable and customisable by the user, and therefore longer-lasting. According to the company, increasing the lifespan of a phone by two years reduces
CO₂ emissions by 30%.
History
![Fairphone 2 reverse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Fairphone_2_reverse.JPG)
Fairphone was founded by
Bas van Abel
Fairphone is a Dutch electronics manufacturer that designs and produces smartphones with the goal of having a lower environmental footprint and better social impact than is common in the industry. In particular, the company aims to minimize the ...
, Tessa Wernink and Miquel Ballester
as a social enterprise company in January 2013, having existed as a campaign for two and a half years. The company states on its website that it "designs and produces smartphones with minimal harm to society and the environment".
In April 2015 the company became a registered
B Corporation
In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that include ...
.
Since version two the Fairphone is produced in
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
, China, by Hi-P International Limited.
Fairphone's founder Bas van Abel acknowledged in 2017 that it was currently impossible to produce a 100% fair phone, suggesting it was more accurate to call his company's phones "fairer".
As of February 2022, Fairphone had sold around 400,000 devices.
[
]
Products
Price
The Fairphones are priced in the middle of the range of mobile phone prices; for example, the Fairphone 4 in 2022 was priced from €579.
Similar products
The Shiftphone
Shiftphone is a modular, easy to repair smartphone created by the company SHIFT in Germany. The company emphasizes fair trade and ecology similar to Fairphone. Instead of tantalum capacitors made from coltan, ceramic capacitors are used for t ...
is another small mobile telephone manufacturer with focus on sustainability, and also developed a modular smartphone. The founder of Shiftphone considers that the two companies working in collaboration could have more influence on bigger competitors.[
]
Recognition and certifications
Tessa Wernink (right) receiving the Tech5 award at Conference 2015">The Next Web Conference 2015
In 2015, Fairphone – a certified benefit corporation
In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that include ...
– won the award for fastest-growing European tech startup at The Next Web conference.
Fairphone 2
The Fairphone 2 is a touchscreen-based, dual-SIM smartphone designed to be easily repaired by the user. First released in December 2015, it was the first modular smartphone available for purchase and has since received both hardware improvement ...
was the first smartphone to be awarded with a 10/10 score at iFixit for repairability and the first mobile phone to receive Blue Angel certification.
In 2016, Fairphone's founder and first CEO Bas van Abel was one of the three recipients of the German Environmental Award.
In 2019, Fairphone won the Partnership Of The Year prize at the Responsible Business Awards Responsibility may refer to:
* Collective responsibility
* Corporate social responsibility
* Duty
* Legal liability
* Legal obligation
* Legal responsibility (disambiguation)
* Media responsibility
* Moral responsibility, or personal responsibilit ...
.
Operating systems
Fairphones can run several operating systems, including CalyxOS
CalyxOS is an operating system for smartphones based on Android with mostly free and open-source software. It is produced by the Calyx Institute as part of its mission to "defend online privacy, security and accessibility."
CalyxOS preserves th ...
, DivestOS, /e/, iodeOS, LineageOS
LineageOS is an Android-based operating system for smartphones, tablet computers, and set-top boxes, with mostly free and open-source software. It is the successor to CyanogenMod, from which it was forked in December 2016, when Cyanogen Inc. a ...
, Ubuntu Touch
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, being developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, ...
, and more. Companies associated with e foundation also sell Fairphones with /e/ included, but Ron Amadeo at ars Technica in April 2020 warned /e/ users, "they'll most likely be on an old version of Android".
See also
* Ethical consumerism
Ethical consumerism (alternatively called ethical consumption, ethical purchasing, moral purchasing, ethical sourcing, or ethical shopping and also associated with sustainable and green consumerism) is a type of consumer activism based on the conc ...
* Fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
* Green IT
Green computing, green IT, or ICT sustainability, is the study and practice of environmentally sustainable computing or IT.
The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry: reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy effici ...
* Open-source hardware
Open-source hardware (OSH) consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered by the open-design movement. Both free and open-source software (FOSS) and open-source hardware are created by this open-source culture movement and a ...
* Phonebloks
Phonebloks is an open-source modular smartphone concept created and designed by the Dutch designer Dave Hakkens in 2013, primarily to reduce electronic waste. While Phonebloks is not the first attempt at modular design in a phone, it is notabl ...
* Framework Computer
Framework Computer Inc, commonly referred to as Framework, is an American laptop manufacturer. The company positions itself as a proponent of the electronics right to repair movement, and their laptops are designed to be easy to disassemble, ...
References
External links
*
{{Use British English, date=June 2017
Fair trade brands
Smartphones
Mobile phone manufacturers
Manufacturing companies based in Amsterdam
Dutch brands
Modular smartphones