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Consumer electronics, labour conditions and ecologically sustainable: the 3 rarely fit in the same sentence. In a booming, extremely competitive business, sustainability is often disregarded in favor of profit. particularly the consumer electronics industry has been squeezing every penny out of every step of the production line. Fairphone attempts to raise awareness and deliver a proof of concept. In this presentation we take a look at specific areas of improvement and how fairphone is taking actions to dress them
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Social and Ecological sustainability for consumer electronics
Chaitanya BhagwatApplied Computer Science
(Hogeschool Gent)
“A seriously cool smartphone that puts social values first”
as fair as possible Fair towards environmental and social issues
Who/what is Fairphone?
Dutch social enterprise Started as an awareness project about conflict materials in electronics
Lead by example, make a fair phone
The company
Bas van Abel
A phone that is as fair as possible: 100% fair is unrealistic Raise awareness with
consumers Raise pressure for big brands
to change A commercially viable product
The proposition
Technical specs: 1.2Ghz Quad-core cpu
16 GB internal flash memory
4.3” screen, 960*540 resolution
Dragontrail glass (scratch resistant)
Dual front/ rear camera
Android OS (4.2 Jelly Bean on launch)
Specifications
The product
The product
Cost Breakdown
Pricing€ 325, pre-order Of which € 22 for social and green initiatives Full cost breakdown available on http://www.fairphone.com/
25.000 phones sold out in
December,
35.000 more are being made
Adobe Acrobat Document
The Problem
What is the problem?
Social Ecological
• Working wages
• Social rights
• Health hazards
• Conflict mining
• Polluting heavy metals in e-
waste
• Rare minerals and metals
are a finite resource
Non- transparent supply-chain:
• tracking factories is very hard
-> hard to find out who’s responsible
Complex electronics:
recycling is specialised, too hard for most companies.
Sustainability
Product LifecycleConflict Mining (African mines)
labour conditions(China, South-east Asia)
Landfills and dump sites
The Problem
Gathering materials
Production
Product usage
product disposal
Highlight: Conflict Mines
tantalum, tin, cobalt, gold,... Needed for production.
African Mines: controlled by national armies and rebel troops, to fund their armed campaigns
Abuse of local labourers, health hazards due to inadequate equipment
The Problem
Conflict-free minerals
Initiatives that don’t fund illegal armed forces
Focus on small regions, formalise mining sector
Regional economic stability through emplyment
The Problem
Low wages Limited social rights Labour conditions No transparency in supply
chain: who to hold responsible?
Highlight: Assembly
Supply-chain transparency
Track down suppliers to improve accountability
Negotiating with suppliersKey points:
• living wages for workers• Working conditions, • Worker empowerment
Steb by step. End goal: Transparent, long
term relationships
The Problem
Planned obsolence (cfr. Apple lightning connector, fixed batteries)
Recycling requires effort Growing piles of landfill in
Africa and asia
Highlight: End of life processing
Gathering materials
Component production
Product assembly
Product usage
product is disposed of
Product Design“a product’s environmental impact is determined at the concept and design phase”
Design
Product Lifecycle
Fairphone design goals:
1. Long product life
2. Make it repairable
3. Take care of material
recovery
Product Lifecycle
1. Long product life
2. Replaceable battery: • battery lifespan <-> phone lifespan
Easy software updates: • open source hardware & software
Dual sim card: • eliminate need for multiple phones e.g. Work,
private
Product Lifecycle
1. Make it repairableEasy to disassemble
• repair phone screens• repair usb/audio connectors, camera
sensor, ...•
Product Lifecycle
1. Take care of material
recovery
Aim to build a 100% recycled phone• http://closingtheloop.eu/• http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/
Summary: the problems
There are social and ecological issues associated with consumer electronics
Projects are starting up to adress some of the issues e.g. Conflict-free minerals initiative, Close the loop
Fairphone wants to demonstrate a commercially viable proof-of-concept
Public demand for fair electronics is rising (fairphone sold out)
Product Lifecycle
Summary: changes in production
Avoid Conflict Mining, stimulate fair mining
Negotiate better working conditions for laborers
Invest in e-waste recycling, Collect obsolete products
Increase product lifeIncrease repairability
Gathering materials
Production
Product usage
product is disposed of
Summary: What can we do
As consumers As software designers
• Use product ‘till the end of their life. (replace batteries, not phones)
• consider buying used or refurbished electronics
• Donate/resell used products
• Support sustainability projects, recycle your gadget.
Design for longevity:
• Low hardware
requirements
• Backwards compatibility
(software and hardware)
