This article was taken from the June 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Dutch designer Bas van Abel wants to show you where your smartphone comes from -- so he set up Fairphone, a social enterprise that designs, manufactures and sells smartphones with a twist; they are made from "fair" and "conflict-free" resources.
So far, van Abel (right) has sold 25,000 Fairphones at €325 (£270) each, and the next batch will be shipped to customers in June. "Our coming model, out in 2015, will use only recycled materials," he says.
For his initial batch of phones, produced last year, van Abel used Congolese mines for the tin and tantalum -- commonly used in circuit boards, soldering wires and battery capacitors. The mines in the provinces of South Kivu and Katanga are tracked by NGOs and international charities to make sure they are not financing militia. "We chose to go to the Congo to stimulate economic activities and provide jobs to those who might otherwise join the war," he says. "We also assembled the phone in China, because we were researching how to modify the existing supply chain, rather than create a new one."
To address suicides and overwork problems in Chinese factories, van Abel set up a worker welfare fund, financed by a $2.50 (£1.50) premium (matched by the factory) on each phone. "We can't put a figure on how 'fair' Fairphone is, but it will evolve," he says. "I'm not in this to make phones. I'm here to challenge the systems behind the product."
Or try these other smartphones...
A device for the post-Snowden age, the Blackphone puts privacy and security before other features. The phone, a collaboration between Silent Circle and Geeksphone, runs PrivatOS, an Android-based system. For: crypto-anarchists
A concept proposed by Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, this modular phone allows broken or old components to be changed. Phones can also be customised, so a smaller camera could allow for a bigger battery. For: fans of bespoke
Android isn't entirely open-source, as the apps that sit on top aren't all free. The Geeksphone Revolution is far more open -- it can run Android, the Mozilla B2G OS, or community-built operating systems. For: open-sourcers
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
