This looks pretty good. The main issue with Fairphone for me is the price. FP 5 is still about 2x as expensive as Pixel 8. I got my Pixel 8a on promotion for ~250 euros. FP 5 still costs over 500. I never paid more than 300 euros for a phone and I’m not planning to.
Pixel is build by Foxxcon. Foxxcon has 3.5 stars on Glassdoor.
From what I found Fairphone is build by TCL which has 3.2 stars on Glassdoor.
It’s all still made in Asia. It’s really hard to monitor conditions there and it’s pretty much impossible to monitor conditions at every step of the supply chain. I understand paying extra for a more sustainable phone (repairable, longer support) but paying double for a vague promise of being more “fair”? Thanks by no thanks. Pixel has 8 years of support now so the difference in sustainability is minimal.
“Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we collaborate with suppliers to develop improvement plans that are informed by detailed assessments and worker surveys.” p. 28
From their recently published annual(I think?) impact report. There’s a bit more detail under section 4.3, not crazy specific but definitely better than a vague promise imo.
The single best thing for sustainability is long lifetime of the phone. Now that EU mandates it and Apple, Pixel and Samsung all offer 7 years of updates Fairphone’s advantage here is slim. The rest are just vague promises. Apple also promises to support people and communities involved in its supply chain:
https://www.apple.com/supply-chain/
All the companies try to avoid sweatshops because it’s terrible for PR but unless you are actually going to assemble the phone in EU you don’t really know who made it. For me the difference between two phones made in China is not big enough to pay double.
Sure, I just showed you the report, you may draw your own conclusions upon reading it. But in my opinion they’ve long proven to be transparent and actionable when it comes to improving the industry, e.g. by co-founding the Fair Cobalt Alliance. And maybe they even had something to do with those changes in legislation, the EU itself seems to recognise as much…
Probably. I’m not saying that Frairphone is bad and that what they are doing doesn’t have any value. What I’m saying is that their phones were always too expensive for me and now that there are other phones with 7-8 year lifespan on the market it’s even harder to justify the expense. I’m glad that enough people had the money to support Fairphone and I’m grateful for their contribution in changing the legislation. Maybe in 5-6 years, when I have to change my phone, I will get a Fairphone.
Idk man. you think the folks who killed themselves can put a review on a corporate shill website that’s been known to remove reviews for the right price?
The final assembly is only part of the story though. As far as I understand, fairphone does actually try to check their supply chain to ensure the raw materials are (more) ethically sourced. As opposed to those optimizing for profit, who will intentionally look the other way.
This looks pretty good. The main issue with Fairphone for me is the price. FP 5 is still about 2x as expensive as Pixel 8. I got my Pixel 8a on promotion for ~250 euros. FP 5 still costs over 500. I never paid more than 300 euros for a phone and I’m not planning to.
Fair wages and sustainable practices cost more than sweatshop labor
Pixel is build by Foxxcon. Foxxcon has 3.5 stars on Glassdoor. From what I found Fairphone is build by TCL which has 3.2 stars on Glassdoor.
It’s all still made in Asia. It’s really hard to monitor conditions there and it’s pretty much impossible to monitor conditions at every step of the supply chain. I understand paying extra for a more sustainable phone (repairable, longer support) but paying double for a vague promise of being more “fair”? Thanks by no thanks. Pixel has 8 years of support now so the difference in sustainability is minimal.
“Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we collaborate with suppliers to develop improvement plans that are informed by detailed assessments and worker surveys.” p. 28
From their recently published annual(I think?) impact report. There’s a bit more detail under section 4.3, not crazy specific but definitely better than a vague promise imo.
The single best thing for sustainability is long lifetime of the phone. Now that EU mandates it and Apple, Pixel and Samsung all offer 7 years of updates Fairphone’s advantage here is slim. The rest are just vague promises. Apple also promises to support people and communities involved in its supply chain: https://www.apple.com/supply-chain/ All the companies try to avoid sweatshops because it’s terrible for PR but unless you are actually going to assemble the phone in EU you don’t really know who made it. For me the difference between two phones made in China is not big enough to pay double.
Sure, I just showed you the report, you may draw your own conclusions upon reading it. But in my opinion they’ve long proven to be transparent and actionable when it comes to improving the industry, e.g. by co-founding the Fair Cobalt Alliance. And maybe they even had something to do with those changes in legislation, the EU itself seems to recognise as much…
“Fairphone has made a tangible impact by improving working conditions for miners and factory workers, increasing the use of fair-trade and recycled materials, and extending product lifespans to combat e-waste. Its advocacy has influenced industry giants and policymakers to adopt fairer, more sustainable practices.”
Probably. I’m not saying that Frairphone is bad and that what they are doing doesn’t have any value. What I’m saying is that their phones were always too expensive for me and now that there are other phones with 7-8 year lifespan on the market it’s even harder to justify the expense. I’m glad that enough people had the money to support Fairphone and I’m grateful for their contribution in changing the legislation. Maybe in 5-6 years, when I have to change my phone, I will get a Fairphone.
foxxcon? you mean the same company that had a mass suicide from workers jumping off the buildings?
edit: sorry wasn’t a mass suicide just dozens and dozens of people killing themselves because of the working conditions at foxxcon.
it’s hard to find details about the mass protest with the threat of suicide because there’s so many other single suicides at foxxcon.
If you’re using a pixel or apple phone I wonder if you’re using a phone that one of those workers put together 🤔
Yes, that foxxcon. The one that has better reviews on Glassdoor then the company that assembles Fairphone. What’s your point?
Idk man. you think the folks who killed themselves can put a review on a corporate shill website that’s been known to remove reviews for the right price?
Why TCL didn’t pay them to also remove bad reviews?
TCL doesn’t give a shit because they don’t have such a shit working environment that people literally commit suicide to get out of it.
The final assembly is only part of the story though. As far as I understand, fairphone does actually try to check their supply chain to ensure the raw materials are (more) ethically sourced. As opposed to those optimizing for profit, who will intentionally look the other way.