There are more smartphones than humans on this planet. We’ll let that sink in for a few seconds… Why is that? Sure, the producing companies are per se interested in keeping product life cycles as short as possible. Which they achieve with two approaches. First, you create a desire through new models, new features, improved performance or modified design. Second, and this one’s really mean, the products are produced in a way that they can’t exceed a certain life-span. There could, there must be a different way, thought a family man from the Netherlands. He developed the most sustainable and fair mobile phone worldwide, in short: Fairphone. The modular smartphone, now available in its second edition with changeable covers, offers its users more personal responsibility and control over their device. It can be easily opened and taken apart. That way, you can change a weak battery or broken screen glass yourself or even just build in the newest camera yourself very soon. Without techie-fancy-schmancy-skills. Longevity is key! But the company from Amsterdam also has its eye on the entire value chain: from mining the needed materials (there are over 40 in every smartphone), design and production to the life cycle. Fairphone advocates safe working conditions in suppliers’ plants and fair salaries, uses conflict-free materials such as tin, tantalum, wolfram and fair trade gold and fights for transparency within the supply chains of the electronics industry.  That’s how we like our Smartphones these days. Of course, Fairphone hasn’t reached all of its goals in terms of fairness yet. But it is a best practise, a broader than broad hint for the entire electronic industry. Last Sunday, Fairphone founder Bas van Abel was awarded with the Deutsche Umweltpreis – the largest environmental award in the whole of Europe. The Fairphone 2 can be ordered here as of now and will be delivered on December 16th, in time for Christmas. This is the revolution we’ve been waiting for.
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FAIRPHONE | from 523 Euro |  fairphone.com