Telekom, Fairphone partner on sustainability awareness

Deutsche Telekom and Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise building a market for ethical smartphones, are strengthening their cooperation. With multiple projects, the two companies want to raise awareness amongst consumers about sustainability in the electronics industry.

Fairphone is the industry leading sustainable smartphone manufacturer. Its device’s innovative modular design saves resources and reduces emissions, as well as improves repairability and recyclability.

The seven modules in the Fairphone 3+, as well as a screwdriver that comes with it, allow for easier repair of specific components. Fairphone 3+ is made up of 40 per cent recycled plastic and is made with fairly sourced materials, such as tin, tungsten, cobalt and Fairtrade gold.

This makes Fairphone a manufacturer that meets Telekom's requirements for sustainable devices. These include durability, repairability and sustainable and recycled materials in both the device and packaging.

“Our customers want a holistic, sustainable offering. One part of this is our network, which runs on 100 per cent renewable energy. But 80 per cent of the emissions in the lifetime of a smartphone occur during the production phase. With Fairphone as a partner, we are taking an important step towards achieving our climate goals throughout the supply chain. That is why we are expanding our cooperation,” says Birgit Klesper, Senior Vice President Group Corporate Responsibility at Deutsche Telekom.

“Our mission as a company is to establish a market for ethical smartphones to motivate the electronics industry to act more responsibly. One of the ways we do this is collaborations with European market leaders such as Deutsche Telekom to change the way things are done in the industry. We want to make care for people and planet a natural part of doing business in the electronics sector,” says Eva Gouwens, CEO at Fairphone.

Together, Deutsche Telekom and Fairphone want to market sustainable products and offerings to customers. The program will begin in Germany and Austria, with other countries having also shown interest. Deutsche Telekom currently has the Fairphone 3+ in its portfolio.

Mobile phone cases made from recycled materials
Amongst other initiatives, Fairphone and Telekom are planning special consumer offers in Germany. From 2 July until the end of July, Deutsche Telekom customers will exclusively receive a free protective phone case made from 100 percent recycled material (RRP 39,95EUR) for every Fairphone 3+ purchased from Deutsche Telekom.