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Fairphone

Sustainable smartphone manufacturer

Fairphone logo
101-200 employees
  • B2C
  • Sustainability
  • Manufacturing
  • Telecommunications
  • Consumer Goods
  • Social Impact
  • Environmental
Houthavens, Amsterdam, NH

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Company mission

Fairphone's mission is to build a fairer electronics industry.

Our take

There are over 4 billion smartphones in active use, generating around 146 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year. Add to that the use of conflict minerals like tungsten and gold in these devices, as well as murky supply chains, and the smartphone industry has some cleaning up to do. This is precisely what the social enterprise and greentech company Fairphone is looking to enact, with its sustainable smartphones using ethically-sourced minerals, recycled plastics, and vetted supply chains.

With over 80% of the dizzying smartphone emissions coming from the manufacturing process, Fairphone's holistic - and apparently effective - approach to ethical tech could prove a real game-changer, especially in an industry under increasing scrutiny for its environmental impact. The company's electronic-waste neutral model allows modular phones to be upgraded with hardware swap-outs, or recycled sustainably, showing the care that has been taken to ensure minimal impact across the entire product life cycle.

With the EU pushing for a green transition in business models - ultimate hopes are to be carbon neutral by 2050 - Fairphone is positioned well to capitalise on government-encouraged opportunities. Recent and substantial funding will allow the company to settle existing loans, strengthen and increase brand awareness, and accelerate integration of fair and recycled materials in its full product portfolio.

Kirsty headshot

Kirsty

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Benefits

  • Bike allowance – we support you with a bike purchase of up to €300 and you’ll have a yearly repair budget of up to €80, too!
  • Daily, healthy lunch, organic FairChain coffee, and many more tasty things.
  • Fairphone’s collective pension scheme - we will contribute to build your pension.
  • A MacBook and a Fairphone as a working device.
  • Public transport allowance – we fully cover your 2nd class commute from your home to the office.
  • Seasonal Dutch lessons with a language teacher at the office
  • We have our own bouldering wall at the office! You can borrow climbing shoes, too, and we provide you with basic training.
  • There’s a gym and recreation and yoga rooms in the building where you can build healthy habits, stay active and have fun with your colleagues.
  • Flexible work location - we are remote-friendly and you can work up to 60% of your time from home or any other location you want. We also contribute up to €150 for your home office set-up.
  • 25 paid holidays per year (based on a full-time contract) next to the other public holidays in the Netherlands.

Company values

  • Proactive: Take initiative and look for opportunities.
  • Creative: Solve problems in inventive ways.
  • Transparent: Be open and not afraid to share.
  • Positive: Be upbeat and have a great attitude.
  • Collaborative: Love teamwork and embrace different thoughts and opinions.
  • Flexible: Thrive in a fast-paced environment driven by change.

Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)

Jan 2023

$51.6m

LATE VC

Aug 2018

$2.7m

CONVERTIBLE

Total funding: $70.7m

Leadership

Bas van Abel

(Board Member)

Also Co-Founder of De Clique, a Guest Lecturer at the Nyenrode Business University, and an Ashoka fellow.

Miquel Ballester Salvà

(Head of Product Management)

Previously worked in responsible production and purchases at Meer Kerst.