As we much as we love the latest and greatest smartphones, and as much as they have changed the way we live our lives, we turn a blind eye to the manufacturing process time and again.
Not only are most smartphones assembled in manufacturing plants where thousands of low-paid staff work under difficult conditions, but the components of our phones often come from dangerous places. For example, the batteries used in phones require the material cobalt, and this is mined by hand in underground mines in parts of Africa.
FairPhone is hoping to achieve for phone production the same awareness of these issues Fair Trade coffee has for farming practices in third-world countries. Sourcing materials from conflict-free mines and paying fairly for all work is high on the list of priorities for the FairPhone project.
And yes, there is a phone in production. FairPhone is the brainchild of Dutch designer Bas Van Abel, and as such, the FairPhone is quite attractive. It runs on the Google Android platform, sports a quad-core processor, 4.3-inch qHD-resolution screen and 16GB internal storage. All for €325.
The FairPhone team is careful to point out that, while it has made advances in sourcing materials acquired through companies supporting fair working conditions, it still has a lot of work left to do in the future.
Speaking with ABC Radio National, Van Abel describes the process of building a notion of fairness for the many steps in the production line.
"What you think is fair is not what I think is fair and definitely not what they think is fair in Congo or China. So the first phone will have some specific things that are more fair, and then the next phone will have it more fair, more fair, more fair. So it's more like a discussion we're starting. "
FairPhone is working on producing 20,000 handsets to this spec, and has currently taken orders for over 11,000 units. They are only currently offering delivery to European countries, but are looking into international deliveries in the future. But it's not just about phone production.
"I see FairPhone as a platform … in which everyone can contribute to bettering the situation," said Van Abel. "In big companies [Vodafone, Dutch telco KPN] there are people ... who also wants to change stuff, and this way we offer a platform for all these stakeholders."
Joseph Hanlon
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