April 4, 2024, 4:26 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
At the beginning of 2024, Reinier Hendriks took over as CEO of the Dutch company Fairphone. In an interview with TECHBOOK, Hendriks discusses his vision for sustainable electronics and what makes a good smartphone for him.
TECHBOOK met the new CEO of Fairphone at the MWC 2024 and talked about the company’s focus, reach, and impact on the industry. The discussion centered on the current Fairphone 5 and potential new products, as well as how software can improve existing devices.
Fairphone aims to make electronics last longer
When asked about his plans for the future of Fairphone, the CEO made it clear that longer usability is a priority: “[The Fairphone 5] lasts for ten years. You can repair it yourself–you can open it, it’s very easy. Everything you want to have on this phone and what you need to change, you can do yourself.” The company wants to prevent smartphone owners from immediately switching to a new device when problems arise.
Using existing devices as long as possible is important to reduce e-waste. According to Hendriks, smartphones account for a large portion of the 50 million tons of electronic waste produced annually. With the more than 600,000 devices Fairphone has sold so far, the company demonstrates that longer usage is indeed possible. While conventional smartphones are typically used for about two to three years, Fairphone products last a full six years.
With these numbers, Hendriks also wants to prove that there is a “viable market for ethical electronics.” After all, Fairphone cannot revolutionize the industry alone but can encourage other companies to drive change.
The “Fair” in Fairphone stands not only for the use of ethically sourced raw materials and recycled materials but also for fair pay throughout the entire product pipeline. From miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to manufacturers in China to its own employees, Fairphone guarantees fair wages according to its own statements.
Hendriks: “Perhaps we have already reached the limit of what a good phone should be.”
Hendriks believes we need to redefine what truly great technology is. This reflects the vision of Fairphone co-founder Miquel Ballester. According to him, we may have already reached the limit of what makes a good smartphone. Innovation in areas like camera and performance has been slowing down in recent years. According to Hendriks, the Fairphone 5 can therefore deliver what users need with today’s technology for the next 10 years.
To achieve this, Fairphone focuses on software innovation. The company constantly works on fixing bugs and adding new features. The recent camera update for the Fairphone 4–a two-and-a-half-year-old device–illustrates this point. Due to customer feedback about poor camera performance, the company invested a lot of time in improving the image software. The result is an “upgrade” that reportedly brings the Fairphone 4’s camera to the level of the Fairphone 5.
With this, Fairphone wants to prove that software innovation is the more important path than constantly using new hardware. However, this requires a shift in the industry–a change Hendriks wants to drive forward.
Also interesting: Fairphone 5 in review–what the sustainable smartphone can do
Repairability is a focus at Fairphone
That Fairphone products are easy to repair is no secret. It is one of the core principles of the company’s ethos–and is repeatedly confirmed by 10/10 ratings from repair experts at iFixit. However, TECHBOOK wanted to know from Fairphone CEO Hendriks whether customers actually repair their smartphones themselves.
According to Hendriks, Fairphone indeed sees that many of its more than half a million customers repair their devices themselves–using the spare parts the company offers on its own site. TECHBOOK tested how easy the repair is and was able to confirm Hendriks’ numbers: The Fairphone 5 can be repaired and reassembled in no more than five minutes.
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No interchangeable circuit boards in the works
The Fairphone is divided into modules under the hood, which are easily replaceable. Therefore, TECHBOOK asked CEO Hendriks in conversation whether Fairphone plans to develop upgrades for certain components like the logic board in the future.
According to Hendriks, Fairphone is not working on such an option because “the SoC is the most significant negative contributor to e-waste.” Therefore, Fairphone has used a special Qualcomm chip that significantly simplifies support over many years. Here, too, the Fairphone CEO emphasizes that a long lifespan is more important than always having the latest hardware.
New headphones in the works
In addition to smartphones, Fairphone is also producing headphones that are highly repairable. The question arose whether Fairphone plans to expand its ecosystem with new products.
Hendriks: “The next priority is indeed audio products. That’s why we developed the Fairbuds, and there will be more products in the audio sector.” However, Fairphone must increase its product visibility and encourage other companies to drive change.
Fairphone undoubtedly plays a pioneering role in sustainable and ethical electronics. Hendriks wants to further advance the impact on the industry and create a viable market for ethical electronics: “Not just Fairphone, but we as an industry must reduce the e-waste we currently produce […]. And that is the impact we believe we must achieve.”