Tag: #fairphone

Tech Review – Fairphone Fairbuds XL teardown and a look at their app

Fairphone is a brand well known for their mobile phones and being able to repair them yourself or the right the repair might be a better way to put this and this company lets you do that all by yourself which other manufacturers should take note of. We had their last phone to review the Fairphone 4 and was quite a hit with us and others and now they have just launched a pair of headphones into the mix and we have been testing these out for some time now and we can tell you how they fair out.

The presentation is top notch and on point as with any product they have on offer with and hints about climate change and sustainability which many manufacturers are now trying to do following the steps of Fairphone. You can read more on that below.

The fit is excellent here and very comfortable to wear and no issues wearing for many hours at a time like I tend to do and it just gets better from there, First up the ANC it is one of the best if not the best I have seen in a long time and you have to try it to believe it, simply nothing gets in from the outside no matter if outdoors or indoors and this for me is great but you can also change them to hear what is going on around you for safety purposes. The sound is excellent too and offers several preset choices to pick from but I would like to see more additions to the app as time goes on within the app but for now it is fine and how they sound is also fine and an excellent audio experience to be had.

I love the control feature on these which is like a small navi key and this is something I would like to see more of instead of buttons and here you do not miss out on any functions either you can still play pause, skip and reverse tracks and adjust the volume with no issues at all.

What is important to note here is being able to fix the headphones yourself just like their phones in the past and this should be taken on board by all manufacturers going forward in my opinion and it just makes like easier for everyone all round.

By introducing Fairbuds XL, Fairphone is applying its market-leading experience in making sustainable, repairable smartphones. The headphones are produced with the same values used to make all Fairphone devices – focus on people and planet. Like all Fairphone devices, the headphones are designed to last. The modular construction and spare parts make them easy to repair, which lets users enjoy and keep their device for longer. Fairbuds XL allow for the replacement of parts that can
wear over time, such as the ear cushions. The long-term use of electronics isn’t only great for the user experience, it also helps reduce their environmental footprint. The headphones are the next step in Fairphone’s journey to develop fair and long-lasting audio devices, after launching its first generation earbuds in 2021.

Eva Gouwens, CEO of Fairphone, comments: “After spending almost 10 years making sustainable smartphones, we are ready to expand our focus and bring sustainability to a new category of audio products. We’re introducing our unique core features – fair materials, improved working conditions, our climate conscious approach and repairability – to the market and raising the bar on impact for people and planet, in the headphone segment. Fairbuds XL are for users who are searching for a sustainable alternative on the market and want to push for change in the electronics industry.”

Fairphone’s focus on people and planet has been its key market differentiator, making Fairphone the market leader in sustainable electronics. Through its dual focus on the social and environmental impact on the supply chain, Fairphone is
setting an example and pushing the industry to act more responsibly.

• Fairbuds XL are among the most sustainably designed headphones on the market. They have Fairtrade gold integrated in the supply chain and are made with vegan leather as well as several recycled materials, such as 100% recycled plastic in all parts it can be used in, 100% recycled aluminium in structural elements such as the headband base and recycled tin. The travel
pouch is made from 100% recycled polyester and nylon.

• Fairphone will pay 0.55 USD per headphone to fill the living wage gap of the production line workers, and is working with the supplier on improving working conditions based on workers’ needs.

• Fairbuds XL are climate-conscious, meaning that Fairphone takes action to reduce the carbon footprint of the Fairbuds XL through longer use, using recycled materials and also investing in carbon reduction projects that lower CO2 emissions while benefiting the surrounding communities. The amount Fairphone invests in these projects equals the left over amount of carbon
emissions created throughout the life-cycle of the headphones after
reduction measures.

According to recent figures, in 2021 alone 548 million headphones were sold and sales volumes have increased since 2013. The electronics industry faces a make use-dispose attitude driven by a business model that encourages short product life cycles, which has caused an electronic waste (e-waste) problem that increases each year. Despite being one of the fastest growing waste streams, only a small fraction of e-waste (17.4%) is actually taken back to be recycled. The electronics industry is
also dealing with a steep demand for minerals needed to make electronics, as well as poor working conditions for millions of people working in mines and factories.

It’s clear that the industry needs to change its practices. With each product launched, Fairphone wants to show how an industry that cares for people and planet could look like in practice. In addition to being climate conscious and fair, the headphones also provide users with superior sound quality, strong bass, warm mids and clear bright highs, delivered by a 40mm dynamic driver and enhanced with state-of-the-art noise cancellation. Two-point bluetooth connection ensures that users switch seamlessly between devices. The headphone’s replaceable battery encourages longevity with a long lasting battery that has a lifetime of up to 30 hours. While being a modular device, the headphones have IP54 certification, meaning they are weather resistant.

The headphones also come with the Fairbuds App, available on Play Store and App Store, which allows users to change the Signature EQ presets (professionally tuned by Sonarworks) and tune the headphones to their preferences. The app will also
give quick access to support such as quick start guides, tutorials, support articles and customer service. It will also ensure longevity by allowing users to update their headphones over time, introduce new features and provide occasional bug-fixes.

 

Users will also be able to order replacement parts if repairs are needed, as well as learn about the parts that make up the headphones. Fairphone relied on the expertise of Sonarworks, a world-leader in sound calibration, to deliver the signature sound of Fairbuds XL. The company has had its technology used by Grammy-Award winning engineers recording with top artists such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Adele and Coldplay. Fairphone headphones will be available from 11 May on Fairphone’s website and selected partners, at a suggested retail price of €249. The two variants of the device
that will be available: green speckled and black speckled.

Company ethos. 

Superior sound. Sustainably designed.

EASY TO REPAIR – modular design allows you to repair the device yourself with spare parts available in our online store.

FAIR MATERIALS – Fairbuds XL has Fairtrade Gold integrated into its supply chain.. It contains vegan leather in the cushions and headbands

FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS We are extending our living wage and fair labour programs to new suppliers in the audio category.

RECYCLED MATERIALS – We are Innovating where it counts with recycled aluminium, plastic and tin used in our headphones.

LONG LASTING BATTERY – Designed with our dedication to getting the longest battery lifetime possible with a battery life of 30 hours

CLIMATE CONSCIOUS – We take action to reduce the carbon footprint of the Fairbuds XL. through longer use, using recycled materials and also investing in carbon reduction projects that lower CO2 emissions while benefiting the surrounding communities. The amount Fairphone invests in these projects equals the left over amount of carbon emissions created throughout the lifecycle of the headphones after reduction measures

Features 

Battery duration: 30h –  800 mAh
ANC: Yes, including ambient sound mode
Spare parts: battery, speaker to speaker cable, earcap covers, headband, ear cushion,
headband base, speaker, headband cover
Bluetooth Range: 10m
Bluetooth & codecs: Bluetooth 5.1 – AAC, SBC, APTX HD
IP Rating: IP54
Weight: 330g
Portability: foldable
Multipoint calling: available
Smart assistant: Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri
Connector: USB-C (for charging, digital and analog music)
Driver diameter: 40mm

BUY

Video Review

 

Fairphone calls on smartphone industry to embrace true sustainability with its 2022 Impact Report

Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise building a market for ethical smartphones, has released its 2022 Impact Report, showcasing the company’s progress towards a more sustainable electronics industry for both people and planet.

The annual report highlights the most recent developments across all four of Fairphone’s core areas of impact, including device longevity and the avoidance of electronic waste, the sourcing of fair and recycled materials, as well as the company’s ongoing efforts to improve the working conditions of people in the supply chain.

It also shows that Fairphone was able to achieve all its targets for 2022 in the different impact areas – a first time milestone. Overall, in 2022 these efforts resulted in avoiding 999 tons of CO2 and 15 tons of electronic waste, with over 54,000 people benefitting (adding up to over 83,000 people since 2017) from Fairphone’s measures.

In a preface to the report, Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens emphasizes that swift action is needed to bring about change in the electronics industry, calling on industry peers to stop delaying reforms and to follow Fairphone’s example to embrace true sustainability, meaning the well-being of both the planet and its people.

Some other highlights of this year’s report include:

  • Being profitable for the third year in a row, despite a difficult market situation.
  • In 2022, 40% of Fairphone’s 14 focus materials could be sourced from fair or recycled sources, meeting the company’s targets for 2022.
  • A worker in the Fairphone 4 final assembly factory received almost an extra month of salary through Fairphone’s living wage program. In total, 305,000 USD was paid to factory workers of Fairphone’s suppliers in 2022 to support living wages in the supply chain. This includes the workers of an indirect component supplier, an industry first.
  • Fairphone co-developed a pilot project on Fairmined Gold Credits that was applied to account for part of the gold used in the Fairphone 4 and Fairphone’s TWS earbuds.
  • Fairphone made significant progress towards reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Committing to reach net zero by 2045 – five years ahead of the suggested timeframe – Fairphone successfully reduced Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by the end of 2022.

The full report, as well as a summary document highlighting the most important takeaways, can be found here.

Fairphone champions long-term support of older phone models with Android 13 update of Fairphone 3(+)

Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise building a market for ethical smartphones, has announced that the Fairphone models 3 and  3+ will be receiving an update to Android 13. Beta version roll-out has started today, with all users receiving the update by the end of June. The new update will take users of the Fairphone 3 and the Fairphone 3+ from Android 11 directly to Android 13.

This update to Android 13 is an example of Fairphone’s policy of providing software support for its devices for as long as possible. Since support by the device’s chipset vendor has expired, Fairphone 3(+) software is now maintained directly by the Fairphone team who assessed the feasibility of updating the device to Android 13 right away. Fairphone has previously done the same with the recently discontinued Fairphone 2, skipping Android 8 and updating the device to Android 9 instead.

The Fairphone 3 was originally launched in 2019 with Android 9, the upgraded version, Fairphone 3+, followed in 2020. Both models are guaranteed to continue to receive software support until at least August 2024. However, Fairphone aims to support the phones for even longer, until 2026. This is a first for the Android ecosystem. Fairphone wants to push the industry to act more responsibly and maintain phones longer.

Agnes Crepet, Head of Software Longevity at Fairphone, states:

“At Fairphone, we not only care about our new customers, but also about our existing users. By providing Android updates for our older models, we are going against industry norms and want to ensure that owners of the Fairphone 3 can also enjoy using their phones for longer. As we always say, the most sustainable phone is the one you already own!”

Fairphone gives a fond farewell to its 7-year-old Fairphone 2

Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise building a market for ethical smartphones, has announced that after an unprecedented over seven years of support, Fairphone 2 has reached the end of its life. The software update for Android 10 releasing today will be its final update. However, certain spare parts for Fairphone 2 will still be available as long as supplies last or as long as there are a reasonable amount of active users. Fairphone 2 was the world’s first modular smartphone on the market, a revolutionary concept for the electronics industry. In total, around 115,000 Fairphone 2s were sold and there are now around 15,000 still in use. Producing the first modular phone presented new challenges for Fairphone, both in the supply chain and software longevity.

Fairphone has had to work with chipsets that no longer support the latest software to keep Fairphone 2 going for as long as possible. Against all odds and with the help of many dedicated Fairphone and open source community members, the company was able to overcome software challenges to provide Fairphone 2 users with continued software updates, effectively using a DIY style to keep the device going for longer. Fairphone 2 launched with Android 5 and was subsequently upgraded to Android 6, Android 7.1, Android 9 and most recently Android 10. It is one of the few devices from 2015 to have received an upgrade to Android 9 and 10.  Fairphone provided users with a total of 43 software updates throughout Fairphone 2’s lifetime.

Fairphone has embraced open source software since its founding, working closely with open source communities. The open source community is crucial to allowing Fairphones to run securely for longer, even after the official end of software support. They helped Fairphone complete the last Android upgrades but also to provide alternative software available for its users. Today, users can now install OSes such as LineageOS or /e/OS available on Android 11 for Fairphone 2. Fairphone’s ambition is to bring more fairness to the electronics industry for both hardware and software.

Agnes Crepet, Head of Software Longevity at Fairphone, states:

“When we first launched Fairphone 2, our software team had the ambition to support the phone for three to five years. We didn’t know we would achieve our goal (and more) because it was an industry first. We are proud to have gone above and beyond our initial ambitions for Fairphone 2. The end of life for Fairphone 2 is bittersweet because in the ideal world, we’d support our devices indefinitely, but due to industry and financial constraints, that is simply not feasible. But we are happy we can say we supported Fairphone 2 for an unprecedented seven years.”

For more information on what this means for Fairphone 2 users, please read the blog post here.

Impact investor Consortium invests €49 million in Fairphone

An international consortium of impact investors led by new shareholders Invest-NL, the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund and existing shareholder Quadia with its Regenero Impact Fund, joined forces with other existing shareholders DALHAP, DOEN Participaties and PDENH to invest €49 million in Fairphone, the Dutch sustainable smartphone company.
The investment enables Fairphone to accelerate growth and scale impact while pursuing its impact-driven mission towards fairer electronics. Furthermore it is used for the settlement of existing loans and partial exit of current shareholders, including PYMWYMIC and over 1000 crowdfunders.
Eva Gouwens, Fairphone CEO, comments: “Over the past years, Fairphone has been able to transform from a social movement to an impactful mission-driven company. I would like to thank all shareholders who have supported us over the years. With a growing base of mission-aligned investors, we will further raise awareness for fairer electronics and accelerate the growth of our company and impact.”
Funding to accelerate growth, product development and impact Fairphone will use the growth capital to strengthen brand positioning and create further awareness around fairness and sustainability in the electronics industry. The funding will also be used to accelerate integration of fair and recycled materials in Fairphone’s full product portfolio, for example by extending its mining value chain programs in Africa & South America, and fair wage programs in Asia. Moreover, Fairphone will invest in product development and improved customer service to ensure users enjoy keeping their Fairphone in use longer.
“We are excited to support Fairphone’s growth ambitions, as a truly circular lighthouse case within the electronics industry. With its unparalleled approach to creating ethical products with both people and planet in mind, Fairphone sets new standards for the entire industry. Together, we are disrupting a short-term way of thinking that the world can no longer afford, creating a sustainable and fair future for all stakeholders,” said Elisabeth Storm de Grave, Principal at Invest-NL.
Hanna Zwietering from the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund says: “Fairphone is a frontrunner in the sustainable electronics industry. The company has proven it can develop high-quality modular and fair smartphones in most competitive markets. Consumers love the Fairphone for impact and quality alike, in line with a growing trend towards conscious consumer behavior. We are proud to support the company in their mission and accelerate Fairphone’s growth to further increase their impact in the industry.”
Towards a fairer electronics industry.
By establishing a market for ethical electronics, Fairphone inspires the entire electronics industry to act more responsibly. This means taking a holistic approach to fairness for people and planet. With every phone sold, Fairphone shows that there is demand for ethical electronics in combination with a profitable business model. Fairphone gains influence in the industry to motivate suppliers and manufacturers to continue to invest in improving working conditions, worker satisfaction and sustainable business practices, as well as providing better opportunities for the communities linked to its supply chain.
Josep Segarra, Senior Investment Manager from Quadia states: “We are very pleased to further support Fairphone through this significant investment alongside new mission-aligned co-investors. Fairphone perfectly fits in our vision of the sustainable electronics sector, in which we have already supported companies in the refurbished smartphones and home appliances segments. We look forward to continuing to strengthen the uniqueness of the company and aspire to accelerate Fairphone’s growth while creating value for all stakeholders and safeguarding its long-term mission”

Fairphone’s ‘Behind the Screens’ documentary available now

In 2021, consumers spent $19.6 billion during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. This new documentary ‘Behind the Screens’ shows the complex, resource-intensive production process behind creating mobile phones and the mounting problem presented by e-waste. As shoppers a getting ready to grab new tech deals ahead of the festive season, it’s an opportune moment to shine a light on the growing problem of e-waste and the tech industry’s harmful ‘make-use-dispose- attitude.

Check out the trailer below and see more, the documentary is available to view on WaterBear – a free streaming platform dedicated to the future of the planet.

 

Fairphone demand electronics industry needs to start paying living wages

It sounds like a no-brainer: Everyone working a normal job with normal hours should be able to afford food and shelter, regular meals and other basics such as medication and education for themselves and their family. The principle is, in fact, so fundamental that the United Nations recognised it in the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights, confirming that “Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity”.

Unfortunately, even in some industrialized countries, this vision is still not reality. Current woes around inflation and rising prices are putting additional pressure on the poor, and aggravate existing inequalities. Globally speaking, however, the discrepancy could not be more striking. Especially in countries where most of the extraction, processing and production of our electronics take place, people find themselves working in mines under harsh circumstances, earning less than five dollars a day. People working on the production line spend up to 80 hours per week selling their labour just to survive. They are the hidden workforce behind the products in your hands.

It is therefore time for manufacturers in the electronics industry to start paying workers a living wage – regardless of where they are located. A living wage, mind you, not a “minimum wage”. Ideally, this distinction would not be necessary once legal minimum wages in production countries actually constituted a living wage. All too often, however, they do not. According to statistics by the International Labour Organization (ILO), nearly one in five workers globally earn too little to lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty. When Fairphone conducted their own research, together with a local NGO in four regions in China in 2020, we found that a living wage would be up to three times the local legal minimum wage.

The impact of low wages can be detrimental, and is reflected in different symptoms and malpractices such as excessive overtime, malnutrition, lower education opportunities for children and, in extreme cases, might even encourage child labour.

The advantages are crystal clear. Checking in with workers who receive a living wage, they report to be more satisfied and happy with their work. A content workforce, in turn, leads to less turnover and lower expenses for training and recruiting while also ensuring stability in the value chain. Higher wages encourage consumption and boost a country’s economic system. Employees who are working excessive overtime, on the other hand, tend to be tired, less efficient, will make more mistakes and have more accidents. Most importantly, however, paying a living wage means treating people as people rather than as “human resources” and to respect their inalienable dignity.

Given these benefits, the price for implementing a living wage in our supply chain is ridiculously low. For Fairphone, it currently amounts to 2 USD per smartphone we sell – less than your average cup of coffee. And scaling and adopting this model is not rocket science, either: For many industries including electronics, researchers, organisations, think tanks, and industry pioneers have already done the legwork, and are sharing their instructions online for free – accounting for the cost of living and other geographical differences per place of production. Fairphone, too, has published a guide on paying living wages, laying out nine steps towards ​​paying product prices that include a living wage. It is high time more companies took leadership in this area. Out of the 17 sustainable development goals that the United Nations have set for 2030, two – SDG 1 on poverty reduction and SDG 8 on inclusive and sustainable growth – can be directly impacted by bridging the gap between minimum wage and living wage.

Yet despite the obvious benefits for employers, hoping that we will get there with voluntary commitments only is utopian. In most countries, even the existence of minimum wages is the result of decades of fierce union and workers’ rights movements that ultimately resulted in mandatory laws. It is time for the European Union to follow suit and to incorporate a true living wage into the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Over 60 companies and NGOs have already joined our call to ensure this. On the consumer side, Fairphone is currently collecting signatures for a petition to the European Union. The industry needs to realize that the issue goes far beyond their annual balance sheet. Inequality is a threat to global stability. Low wages are a violation of human rights. It is time for manufacturers to accept their responsibility.

Fairphone continues quest for device longevity by selling refurbished phones

Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise building a market for ethical smartphones, will today start selling refurbished devices – Fairphone 3, New Life Edition – via its website, originally released in September 2019.

In line with Fairphone’s mission to promote longevity in smartphones to reduce e-waste and save valuable resources, the refurbished phones will complement the existing offer of new Fairphone devices currently available.

These pre-owned phones have been refurbished in France and tested to ensure 100% functionality. They come with a new or almost-new battery, guaranteeing at least 80% of the original capacity. They have the same 2-year manufacturing warranty originally reserved for new devices of this model. The amount of refurbished phones is limited and will be sold while stocks last. Refurbished Fairphone3+ devices will be available in the coming weeks

Its modular design also allows for easier refurbishing and upgrading, since broken parts can be replaced. The company gives refurbished Fairphone devices a second life, a logical step in its quest for device longevity and a circular economy.

About Fairphone

Fairphone is building a market for ethical phones and motivating the industry to act more responsibly. We design, produce and sell smartphones to uncover the supply chain behind our products, raise awareness for the most urgent issues, and prove that it’s possible to do things differently. Together with our partners and collaborators, we’re working to make caring for people and the planet a natural part of doing business.

Fairphone 4 joins Android Enterprise Recommended programme

Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise building a market for ethical smartphones, is proud to announce that it has received Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) Certification for Fairphone 4. The AER program aims to make it easier for enterprise businesses to integrate mobile solutions into their operations, providing a security and management framework built into Android.

By joining the program, Fairphone is working to provide enterprises with the best and most secure mobile experience possible. Fairphone’s inclusion in the program gives customers added assurance that Fairphone 4 meets Google’s strict enterprise requirements for hardware and software and they can feel comfortable about setting their business up on mobile with Fairphone 4. AER also means that customers get timely security patches and clear information about major updates.

Wayne Huang, Vice President of Product at Fairphone states: “We’re proud to have received AER certification for Fairphone 4. As a small smartphone brand, it’s quite a challenge to meet Google’s high hardware and software standards. Our inclusion in the program allows us to expand our reach into the enterprise space by demonstrating that although we are a small company, we can offer customers the same standard of support in terms of frequency and longevity of security upgrades, zero touch updates and mobile device management (MDM) as other major smartphone companies around the world. The enterprise space has been dominated by bigger brands and there hasn’t been a sustainable phone that meets all of Google’s high standards in the AER offering until now.  And now that we have overcome these challenges, we want to encourage businesses to include more sustainable smartphones in their mobile offering”.

With Fairphone 4, the company is raising the bar for itself and the industry by introducing a five-year warranty at no additional cost to encourage people to use — and enjoy — their phones for longer. This is an unrivaled commitment in the electronics sector and is an addition to Fairphone guaranteeing long-term availability of spare parts combined with software support. For Fairphone 4, software support is guaranteed until the end of 2026 and includes upgrades to Android 12 and Android 13 (and aiming for Android 14 and 15). With this unparalleled ambition, Fairphone aims to repeat what it succeeded in doing with Fairphone 2: almost seven years of software support from the launch of an Android device. Joining the AER program goes hand in hand with the company’s plans for extended software support for Fairphone 4.

About Fairphone

Fairphone is building a market for ethical phones, motivating the industry to act more responsibly and pioneering more sustainable ways to make smartphones. Our latest device, Fairphone 4, is described with the tagline ‘Sustainable. Long-lasting. Fair. Fairphone 4 offers an unprecedented 5-year warranty*, is a unique electronic waste-neutral handset and contains fairly sourced materials, challenging the electronics industry to take a more responsible approach. It is the only smartphone on the market certified with the German eco-label Blue Angel and TCO Certified (for sustainable IT products).

  • 5G and dual SIM
  • Modular design for easy repair
  • 5-year warranty* for maximum longevity
  • 48MP dual rear cameras with supporting sensor and 25MP selfie camera

The smartphone was launched in 2021 at a suggested retail price of €579 (6GB RAM, 128GB internal memory) or €649 (8GB RAM, 256GB internal memory). The two variants of the device are available in Europe from a wide distribution network of (online) retailers and network operators and Fairphone’s website. To learn more about Fairphone 4 click here.

*if bought before 31/12/2022, and warranty activated within 90 days on Fairphone.com/warranty

See our review