Chapter 4, Problem 4.1ASC

Creating Fairphones

Fairphone launched its first crowd-funded, ethically-sourced, and environmentally conscious smart phone in 2013. Built with many conflict-free materials in factories concerned about worker welfare, and designed for recyclability, the Fairphone sold more than 100,000 units worldwide. The Fairphone 2, which is shown in the photo, improves upon the first model with a modular design that allows users to disassemble, maintain, repair and eventually upgrade parts of the phone to extend its useful life; hopefully, well beyond the current two-year replacement cycle of smartphones. Replacing batteries is simple and the “yours to open, yours to keep” message is a refreshing change from “opening your phone will void your warranty” message of current smartphones. The ability to upgrade the camera, add a SIM card (two slots are available), or expand memory is also appealing. The rubberized back with reinforced corners doubles as a case, eliminating the need for extra accessories. Spare parts are available for purchase, and accessories can be ‘printed’ with a 3D printer. iFixit rates the repairability of the phone a 10 out of 10. And when the customer is ready to upgrade to a new phone, the company’s Take Back program ensures safe and reliable reuse or recycling.

The Fairphone’s software is standard Android with a few differences. An App Life Cycle keeps track of how much an app is being used and puts less-often-used apps in the idle section after a certain amount of time. An extra layer is added to privacy control that rates the “Privacy Impact” of an app as low, medium, or high before a user downloads it. Most importantly, unlike most Android devices, unlocking the software does not violate the phone’s warranty; Fairphone 2 has superuser access built into the operating system. In fact, the company has released the complete build environment and full open source code for developers to build their own Fairphone operating system.

The Fairphone project began with hopes to open up the supply chain and increase the transparency of worker treatment and materials sourcing within the consumer electronics industry. It has evolved into the ethically-sourced production of a viable smartphone with innovative design ideas. Who knows how that will change the industry?

Fairphone designers imagined a 5-year replacement cycle for smartphones. What challenges does this create for the designer and the user?