Smartphones Produced In An Ethical And Sustainable Way

When we talk about mobile phones or smartphones, images of the most modern devices that we have seen to date come to mind, such as

When we talk about mobile phones or smartphones, images of the most modern devices that we have seen to date come to mind, with their endless cameras, thousands of apps, XXL screens, and the ability to endure all the hours we put into them for days. to Instagram

But there is something that we often forget, and it is precise because it is not seen. The sustainability. What’s inside our smartphones? How are they made? Surely you have never seen it, or rarely, because the brands are very jealous that we try to be able to access the viscera of mobile phones.

And not only that. What materials are our smartphones made of? where do they come from? The screen often keeps us hooked, and makes us lose sight of some big questions about how mobile phones are made.

Smartphones have an international production process. They inhabit and operate mineral devices that have been extracted from areas as remote as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or Colombia, are assembled in China, designed in Europe or the United States, and sold throughout the world.

And that’s where the important issues come in. How have these minerals been extracted? Do they come from unregulated mines controlled by guerrilla groups? Is there slavery in these extractions? Sometimes we think that we have nothing to do with the things that happen in the world, but in others, perhaps in our hands, every day, we have elements that come from the exploitation of some person.

And when we talk about assembly, the same thing happens. In which factories have the mobile phones that we hold in our hands been assembled? The workers were working with supporting unions, or were they doing shifts of 14 and 16 hours a day with no right to anything?

As these questions may make us think, today we bring you a selection of mobile phones or smartphones produced ethically and respecting the environment and the people who work in the production processes.

Fairphone

The Fairphone smartphone is without a doubt the mobile device that should top the list. They started their journey there in 2013, in the Netherlands, when a group of entrepreneurs decided to change the way mobile phones were produced. They got into the industry, playing their game, but changing the rules.

They began by acquiring all the materials from suppliers that respected the human rights of their workers (something that should be very normal, but that very few do), leading the Costa Rican mining industry. And they did the same with the companies with which they assembled the devices, mostly in China.

Once they controlled the production process, they made it more circular. They began to recover parts and minerals from other devices that had already been created, thus reducing the need for extraction of minerals (most of them rare). They also adopted programs so you can recycle your phone.

In addition, they rethought how a telephone should be made. They eliminated planned obsolescence and adapted it so that its parts could be replaced and improved over time, without having to buy a new phone.

Today, they are already on their 4th generation of devices (The Fairphone 3+), and it seems that they are still going from strength to strength and full sail.

Teracube

Similar to Fairphone, Teracube smartphones are built to last. More than you imagine. As standard, they come with a 4-year warranty, which includes free device repair regardless of what happened to it (yes, even if in a fit of rage seeing the nonsense on social media you threw it into the ground). toilet). And besides, you can replace the battery for free when it starts to lose capacity, as this is the main reason why many people decide to change their mobile phone.

It is also important to note that all its minerals are extracted from sustainably treated mines and under decent work criteria.

They are also high-end devices, with all the premium features that a device can have, for a fairly reasonable price (about 300).

They were founded in the United States by Sharad Mital, an environmentalist and software developer who decided to change the way things were done in the industry. His Kickstarter campaign was one of the most popular.

Shift

The latest 100% sustainable mobile phone project that we want to bring you is the case of the German smartphone company Shift. It is a company that produces entirely modular mobile devices; that is to say, that we can repair piece by piece, and they have created the tutorials on YouTube so that you are the one who can fix your smartphone.

In addition to obtaining all the mining companies with sustainability certificates, and assembling them in factories that comply with all human rights, they have wanted to go a little further. To avoid having a computer, a tablet and a smartphone with all the motherboards, processors, RAM, etc duplicated, your smartphone can be connected to different peripherals that are synchronized at the same time.

Backmarket

Many people wonder why we need to buy so many new smartphones when so many fall out of use every year. This is what they thought at Back Market.

This digital portal is dedicated to reconditioning and selling current brand smartphones that have been damaged. It is an incredible initiative in terms of sustainability, as they give a second life to almost new devices, at much more competitive prices.

From the web, you can buy mobile devices and they deliver them to you at home, with a guarantee seal.

Your Current Phone

Yes, remember it always. The smartphone you have in your hands is the most sustainable you can have today since you have already acquired it. Remember to extend its life as much as possible, do not live on the trends of changing it every year, and, only when necessary, if you can, choose one of the sustainable mobile phone alternatives that we have mentioned in this article.