“The Fairphone experiment is changing the tech industry.”
It’s been almost ten years since Fairphone launched an important experiment: If a company built a truly ethical smartphone, would consumers buy it? If it used conflict-free minerals and put the planet first by enabling repair over replacement—would people care?
As the CEO of iFixit and a certified repair nerd, I wanted to believe they would. But once upon a time, I wasn’t so sure. Device longevity, repairability, and the use of fair trade materials simply weren’t priorities for smartphone makers of any size. The newest gadgets were built to be technologically exciting (they often were!), not necessarily sustainable or ethical.
With the recent Fairphone 5—and the growing wave of Right to Repair progress in Europe around the globe—I’ve changed my mind. It is possible. It is already happening. And we’re changing the world.