An ethical, repairable and recyclable phone

The Fairphone 3 uses a modular design to cut down on waste and enable the phone to be easier to both recycle and repair

Spotted: Ethical smartphone maker Fairphone has just released an updated version of its phone, that is designed to be easily taken apart for repairs. The new Fairphone 3 uses a modular design to cut down on waste and enable the phone to be easier to both recycle and repair.

Fairphone’s new model has similar specs to other popular budget smartphones. This includes all of the standard features, such as a full 5.7-inch HD screen with Gorilla glass, an 8-pixel front and a 12-pixel rear camera, 64 GB of storage with a micro SD card and 4GB of RAM. However, unlike many other phones, the Fairphone is constructed from responsibly sourced, recycled, and conflict-free metals and plastics.

Unlike most smartphones, which have a slim, unibody appearance, the Fairphone is designed to be opened up and has accessible screws to make this easier. Once opened up, the modules and connectors are labelled, to help with reassembly. The modules and even some individual components are designed to be replaceable.

In addition to being repairable, Fairphone is also concerned with worker welfare. It offers bonus pay to the Taiwanese-based workers who assemble the phones, bringing their pay up to the living wage. The company uses certified Fairtrade gold and is also researching ways to improve health and working conditions for cobalt and lithium miners.