FairPhone

Fairphone’s Crowdfunded Model & Social Impact

Note from Joe, Community Manager: Some people from the community ask, What’s your crowdfunding model? Do you have lots of investors? Here, I did a quick Q&A with Bas, head honcho, to get his take on Fairphone’s choice in using a crowdfunded model. He talks of his vision to stay independent, and what it means to be a social enterprise.

1. Fairphone is a social enterprise. What does that mean? How does it structure the company and the decisions you make as a profit-making organization?

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Three Years in the Making: Road to a Fairer Phone

Three years ago, we started Fairphone as a campaign with a simple but lofty goal: to create the world’s first completely fair smartphone.

From the beginning, we knew it was unlikely that the first edition of Fairphone would be truly, 100% fair. But we didn’t let that discourage us from taking action and thinking big. Even if we couldn’t achieve perfection with our first attempt, we knew we could try and do better than the status quo and help hold the entire industry to a higher standard.
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Our Choice for Production Partner

Dilemmas, opportunities and what we’ve learned in China 

Last month, we shared our initial steps to seek a production partner in China. We had significant pre-work to do to identify suppliers. Given our size, model, and being a new business producing on a small production run, this was pretty challenging. Now, after our return, we want to share with you what we’ve learned, the dilemmas we faced along the way, and how we chose to work with A’Hong, a mobile manufacturer with factories in Shenzhen and Chongqing.

What we would like to share is the criteria we used to pre-select each factory and how the outcomes of each visit influenced our final decision.

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FairPhone T-Shirt Design Challenge

FairPhone is going to have a good ol’ fashioned T-shirt design contest!

We are gearing up for our pre-orders period in May – with a huge blast of events and buzz in the media – so we need T-shirts to give away to our fans and community members. We’ve been doing good work with our FairPhone logo T-shirts at events like the one in London – Kingston University’s Human Rights week.

Kingston University students supporting FairPhone during their Human Rights Festival

But we wanted to mix up the design a bit – so we thought,

How about we get the talented, creative people in our community to help us make a shirt for this campaign?

Since pre-orders will begin in late May, we have a tight deadline, too. We need to hear from you guys by May 8.

Details:

• Artwork can be a sketch, scan, or image
• Best would be a high quality Illustrator file, or image file as a .png
• Submit with full name, city/country, so you can be adequately credited
• By submitting, your design will be placed under the Creative Commons copyright license (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike)
• Please e-mail submissions to Joe, either at joe[at]fairphone.com OR info[at]fairphone.com
• DEADLINE: Wednesday, May 8

We will display all designs in a Facebook album, so your work can be shared to the public. The “winning” design or designs will get a free T-shirt for them and their friends, recognized on our blog and social media, and of course, have your design on the backs of the entire FairPhone team and all our supporters across the globe!

We can’t wait to see what kind of designs you’ll come up with, but we will have to pick a winner. On our Facebook page, we’ll allow our community to Vote on the designs, so the design with the most “Likes” will be chosen.

Hope you’ll accept the challenge!

Top photo provided by Nancy Smith from Kingston University London

Precious Materials 101, or How Stuff Gets in Your Phone

I’ve just returned from a one-month trip in China, and it’s time I begin sharing with you all the knowledge and experiences I’ve learned on this journey. While I am not an expert, I have a good overview of the challenges we are finding on the way to fulfilling our mission. I received some questions (nicely forwarded by Joe, our community manager) on how one goes from obtaining materials (conflict-free tin, or fair-trade cobalt) to actually putting them in the phone itself. So even though there are so many issues to cover, for this blog post I want to tackle the following question:

How do we go from sourcing materials to the assembly of the actual phone?

First some basics on terms:

• Minerals: the raw stuff that comes from the ground (ore, as in the rock that contains minerals)
• Metals: what comes out of these minerals
• Material: what is created from these metals and minerals; eg, how cassiterite (mineral) is taken to a smelter, where raw cassiterite ore is smelted and becomes tin (a metal)

Here’s a short summary of what we have discussed in previous blog posts regarding the conflict minerals: The international community, especially stemming from the work that led to the Dodd-Frank Act, has coined a certain group of metals as “conflict minerals.” Tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold are extracted from mines in countries or regions entangled in armed conflict. This means that materials come from mines controlled by armed groups (i.e., which collect mandatory and illegal taxes from artisanal miners) who benefit and may buy weapons and other supplies that support the conflict further. This also is affiliated with other types of violence, like sexual violence against women. FairPhone has joined the Conflict-Free Tin Initiative (CFTI) and the Solutions for Hope, which are sourcing tin and tantalum form conflict-free areas in Eastern DR Congo.

So, how do we get the conflict-free tin and tantalum that we are sourcing through these initiatives into the product you will soon be able to buy?

How Stuff Gets in Your Phone

TIN

• Mineral: Cassiterite
• Purpose: used for soldering, or joining components together like glue
• Shape: paste, similar to peanut butter
• Properties: very conductive; can quickly change from liquid, into dried material that hardens for use
• Use: for attaching components on the main board, called the PCB (printed circuit board)
• Initiative: Conflict-Free Tin Initiative (CFTI) 

Conflict-free tin is sourced through the CFTI in a closed-pipe supply chain, which means it is “a conflict-free design, piloting new tracking and tracing procedures to ensure the conflict-free status of the supply chain.” Once this tin (cassiterite) has been extracted, it goes to a company that makes soldering paste (that jar of peanut butter). It’s not just tin, but also silver and copper that go into this soldering paste. It looks something like this:

This jar of paste (conflict-free!) is sent to our production partner, where the glue will fix or attach many different components onto the main circuit board by, in everyday terms, a robot – if you really wanna know this part is called SMT (surface-mount technology).

I want to stress the conflict-free initiatives FairPhone engages in are sourcing minerals from DR Congo. What some other companies are doing, especially after Dodd-Frank, is to leave Congo and to find “conflict-free minerals” from somewhere like Australia. FairPhone’s decision to work in Congo, on the other hand, comes from the vision to source from areas that need our continued economic support. FairPhone wants to work in these areas where we can work to improve and contribute to the situation – we want to change rather than avoid these issues in conflict areas.

TANTALUM

Small capacitors are stuck on the white roll, that looks like paper, which the SMT (surface machine technology) machine takes one by one.

• Mineral: Coltan
• Purpose: used to make capacitors, which is used to store energy (a little like what a battery does)
• Shape: a disc that includes an entire roll of capacitors
• Use: as a little reserve of energy on circuit board
• Initiative: Solutions for Hope

Since tantalum is being sourced by Solutions for Hope this means their approach “utilizes a closed-pipe supply line and a defined set of key suppliers – mines (including artisanal cooperatives), smelter/processor, component manufacturer and end user – identified in advance of initiating the project.” After engaging in this closed-pipe chain, the tantalum metal comes to a company that makes capacitors. There are different types of capacitors used for one thing or another, so not all capacitors are made from tantalum. The function of capacitors is to create small electricity storage in certain parts of the printed circuit board. Again, these capacitors – packaged in a roll and sent to the factory – are placed on the circuit board with the SMT robot.

Producing a phone with conflict-free tin and tantalum is a basic requirement for what we think is a fair(er) phone.

So naturally, it is fundamental that the manufacturer we work with knows and understands this product requirement. The amount of phones FairPhone is producing is between 10 and 20,000. The advantage of producing in “small” quantities is that we have a good overview of what happens at the manufacturer during production and can really control quality. For instance, making sure that the right soldering paste is used for your fair phone. By following all these steps we can make sure you have conflict-free materials (tin and tantalum, this year) in your phone – so you and your FairPhone can make a big statement toward the use of fairly-sourced materials!

Not so difficult, right? Next blog post, we’ll talk about the developments for fair trade cobalt and fair trade gold!

DroidCon Berlin: FairPhone’s Open Operating System

Wanna play this game to win a new phone? Do you have an NFC-compatible phone?

Um, errr, I’m not su—

Huh?? You don’t know, well what phone do you have?

Uh, an iPhone.

WHAT!?

Thus begins my first interaction with one of the few company booths (in this case, Intel) at DroidCon, the biggest independent Android conference in the world! By the way, NFC stands for “near-field communication” and most Android phones have it.

I guess it’s pretty gutsy of me to stroll into DroidCon with my iOS phone (yeah, they’re gonna be Android fans there). But I already felt a little out of my element there – most presentations throughout the conference used language like “stacks,” “modules,” and “verified code” and there was even a live coding demonstration in the main hall. And the story of FairPhone that I brought to the conference was a little bit radical too – a diverse group of designers, thinkers, idealists, and everyday smartphone users had come together to demand a fair alternative in the mobile industry. And yes, I’m admitting I use an iPhone – as I keep waiting, like many of you, for a fair phone!

Beautiful main hall of the Kosmos at Karl Marx Allee, Berlin

My initial fear was that this tech-hungry audience – some of whom told me they received multiple phones for use and testing every few months – would only care about the hardware – what’s the processing power, is it quadcore, how’s the screen? And indeed, they did – rushing up after the FairPhone presentation to ask these very questions. But despite my preconceived notions of what the techy, developer community may be like – this myth was quickly debunked as we received a positive and enthusiastic response from the crowd at our talk. For a review from someone else in the audience, check out this blog post from GIGA Android (in German).

With a presentation entitled “Fairphone & Kwame: Step-by-Step Towards a Better Device,” I was joined by KwameCorp (a digital research & development agency) to talk about our history and vision, and how our values would be translated into a Android-based operating system (OS). We teamed up with the great people at Kwame to design this OS because of their commitment to innovative and transparent design values, as well as their goal as a social enterprise to reinvest resources in social issues.

Chris Dressel from KwameCorp discusses the design vision behind FairPhone OS: transparent, intuitive, conscious.

The common thread during our discussion with people after the talk was how the developer community and FairPhone can collaborate on an OS in a way that is beneficial to both groups. This is one of FairPhone’s main goals, too: finding shared value for all stakeholders involved. Kwame’s approach toward the user interface and user experience (UI/UX in tech speak) follows FairPhone’s idea of being open and transparent: creating an OS that relieves users of obstacles so they can get where they really want to go. For example, Chris Dressel from Kwame explained that many of us hardly use a smartphone for its original purpose – calling – so why put a bulky dialer icon on every single page or pane? Instead, Kwame’s idea is to clear up the clutter on the interface and make things more easily accessible. You can see a few more examples of Kwame’s really cool ideas in their presentation at the bottom.

I’m also pleased to announce that all source code for the FairPhone OS and widgets will be free and released to the public.

As a final point to this post, I’d like to emphasize the “call to action” that was part of the reason I was so excited to go to DroidCon. I love spreading the story of FairPhone to new places and communities, and in this case, I was engaging with a very talented group of people that could lend their expertise to the cause.

I hope that the developers and coders who heard my presentation on Wednesday will follow closely how the phone’s software develops. There are a number of ways that the developer community could help us, so I invite you to write me directly at joe[at]fairphone.com to see how we can work together.

To the developers: You can join some of the people I already met at DroidCon, like Christian Kahl, Janusz Leidgens, and Henning Sprang to name a few, because we really can’t do this without your support! In the coming weeks, we’ll let you know how FairPhone and Kwame have continued to envsision our open OS, but we of course invite you to share with us your ideas and feedback.

FairPhone’s presentation can be found here, and Kwame’s is available here.

On the way to 10,000 Subscribers!

When I wrote this post last night, our website’s subscriber list stood at 9,367. Sometimes when we get a sudden rise in subscribers it comes as a happy surprise – like this time when I only found out we were over 9,300 from a write-up in the Austrian Der Standard yesterday.

And I’m writing now because – we are almost there. As it looks now, we will begin our pre-sales in May.

We are still working very hard on operations and preparations – lots of detailed issues that are involved with selling a mobile phone – choosing a production partner, testing sample phones, researching logistics, preparing our website for websales.

But dear community members, don’t worry about these things. We’ve got you covered. As soon as we have everything set up for sales, our loyal community of almost TEN THOUSAND will have the first opportunity, before anyone else, to buy the FairPhone. We want to make sure everyone who wants to buy a phone registers now, or we can’t guarantee one for you later.

FairPhone soccer team from Likasi, Congo

I keep hearing from people that they want to help – but how? Share! Share our story, our mission, our website, our blog, our updates on Twitter and Facebook. Shout it from the rooftops! To reach more subscribers, and ultimately buyers, we need our community’s help in spreading the word.

Bottom line: if you want to be part of it, register now! And, we can’t wait to identify our 10,000th fan who can expect to be involved in some special campaign plans we have in the coming weeks.

I’ve been getting recurring questions about a few basic issues, so I want to answer some of them here. As for sales, pre-sales are now scheduled for May, with shipping in Autumn. As soon as we have the final specs and confirmed supply chain interventions for this year’s FairPhone, we will release them. In the meantime:

• The phone is an unlocked smartphone that will work with a carrier/operator of your choice
• It will be sold exclusively through our website
• It will use Android Jelly Bean OS (more on that here)
• The price is currently set around 325 euros

Team FairPhone at Waag Society HQ

Now as I post this to the blog, the official website subscriber number has reached 9,523. I can’t help but keep checking the homepage to see the number tick higher and higher toward 10,000. Soon, very soon, we’ll be able to show you the phone, the final specs, the confirmed supply chain interventions, and oh yeah, give you the opportunity to have one for yourself.

As community manager at FairPhone, I have the privilege of hearing from you all firsthand, from e-mails, Twitter replies, and Facebook messages, and getting to know you and what keeps you passionate about fair electronics.

Now that we’re in the final push, I can’t wait to see how we can mobilize this great community we’ve built. This is our last chance to get the rest of our friends, family, and communities on the subscriber list and involved in our movement for change.

So I leave you with a simple question: Who’s in?

Register at www.fairphone.com/register

Selecting a Production Partner

In order to understand the processes behind selecting a production partner, as Fairphone is in the process of doing now, I discussed some initial questions with our Chief Sustainability Officer, Sean Ansett. – Joe Mier, Community Manager

Questions and Answers (click to see answer below)

1. What is a “code of conduct”?
2. What is the process that companies use for implementing a “code of conduct” with a production partner?
3. What’s the difference between auditing and the code of conduct?
4. After a code of conduct is implemented, at what point does a factory get audited?
5. Can you sum up the complexity of auditing?
6. Certain companies are joining multi-stakeholder initiatives like the Fair Labor Association. Is this a step in the right direction?
7. Can you name one or two major problems with the current system of code of conduct/auditing?
8. Why is FairPhone in China?
9. How are Fairphone’s practices different from other companies?

1. What is a “code of conduct”? Do phone developers “shop around” for production partners (OEMs) that match these codes of conduct?

A code of conduct is a document that outlines responsibilities for required practices for three specific parties:

• An organization, in this case FairPhone,
• Suppliers, which includes providing for dignity and respect of their workers, and
• Surrounding communities, which takes all relevant stakeholders into account.

Most big companies today have codes of conducts and expect their suppliers to adhere to and also use a benchmark for social auditing purposes. While these guidelines are important a code of conduct is just a piece of paper and there is a serious need to ensure that these words are translated into action.

2. What is the process that companies use for implementing a “code of conduct” with a production partner? 

There are a number of approaches to implementing codes of conducts in supplier factories either as stand-alone interventions, use of several interventions, or collectively as a whole. These include:

1) Supplier self-assessment questionnaires on social and environmental issues.

2) Social audits verifying compliance with the code – varying from before production begins as a requirement to secure business to post-production audits, and from on-going audits that verify compliance to ‘as needed’ based on specific issues.

3) Training and capacity building on a number of topics like worker management dialogue, freedom of association, and collective bargaining or health and safety issues.

4) Productivity enhancements delivered to reduce working hours and increase wages.

There are a number of approaches and all have a role to play. Unfortunately, codes of conduct “policing” factories have largely not had the impact desired and brands need to look into their purchasing practices including issues related to price, speed of delivery, and changes in production and how those decisions impact workers on the factory floor.

Additionally, developing transparent, trust-based, and long-term relationships with suppliers can alleviate problems and lead to more sustained change.

3. What’s the difference between auditing and the code of conduct? 

The Code of Conduct outlines expectations.  Auditing is the action to verify that the code is implemented on an on-going basis.

4. After a code of conduct is implemented, at what point does a factory get audited? (does it always happen, and if so when – how long after a company chooses its partner does an audit occur?)

The code is a benchmark but rarely are they fully implemented and factories are undergoing continuous improvement on an on-going basis. Typically, a social audit is conducted prior to production being placed. Based on the results a factory may be approved or factory improvement plans requested. Production can start at this time or be put on hold until all issues are addressed. Typically, factories are audited every 6 or 12 months.

5. Can you sum up the complexity of auditing in a few sentences? 

Selecting an auditor is challenging and typically NGOs do better jobs and are able to connect with workers directly. The challenge is for the auditor to be proficient at checking the books, understanding Health and Safety issues, production processes, as well as establishing good communication with workers, management and supervisors to ensure that all information is triangulated in order to understand the issues at hand. Better practices include unannounced audits and interviewing workers outside of the factory.

Audits are best conducted as a surprise without prior notification. Worker interviews should be conducted offsite and ample time provided depending on factory size provided. The auditor should never interfere with the organizing initiatives of workers themselves or their representatives and is never a replacement.

6. Certain companies are joining multi-stakeholder initiatives like the Fair Labor Association. Is this a step in the right direction? Will other companies follow?

Due to the complexity of the situations regarding labor standards and human rights issues not one company or sector can solve these issues on their own. So yes, collaboration between stakeholders including other companies, NGOs, trade unions, and governments is needed in order to leverage expertise, resources, and understand local context. Just as multi-stakeholder collaboration led to changes in the garment sector, this could be a way forward in the electronics industry and I see other companies joining these initiatives.

7. Can you name one or two major problems with the current system of code of conduct/auditing?

There are issues with the quality of social auditors especially in the commercial auditing sense. Just look at Bangladesh where 600 workers have died in factory fires where all the major US/ European brands produce, and where lots of audits are conducted by the brands or their external auditing firms. Something clearly is not working.

Auditing is not sufficient.

A whole package of interventions is needed including developing new ways of doing business with suppliers – specifically regarding prices, lead times and product changes without consideration for the potential consequences and accounting for human rights and labor standards as part of your business model.

8. Why is FairPhone in China? 

While we have not selected a supplier yet we are evaluating suppliers at this time in China. FairPhone intends to manufacture in China because – like our work regarding mineral sourcing from conflict-free mines in DR Congo rather than somewhere like Australia – we feel our model can make a difference in improving working conditions and environmental impacts in China, the major supplier in mobile technology. We want to prove that responsible manufacturing is possible and that it should be done even in challenging markets.

While our aim to create systemic change is ambitious, we realize that to achieve it we need to take a step-by-step approach to the issues at hand. We won’t be able to solve everything with the first phone, but we will make sure that our model is progressive and each successive phone is fairer.

We are in China this week – visiting factories, speaking to potential suppliers, management, and workers, and evaluating where we can make a difference.

9. How are Fairphone’s practices different from other companies?

One way in which FairPhone is different, is that we are small. On the one hand this perhaps means less leverage than the big brands in terms of scale, but on the other hand, it gives us the advantage that we can literally oversee the production of all our phones. If, for example, we were to focus on the issue of wages or working conditions, we can be present in real-time. This does not offer a guarantee for year-round production, but it ensures that decent wages were paid during the production of the Fairphone.

The other thing that sets us apart is that our main driver is not profit, but social values. As a social enterprise, we are far more flexible in terms of purchasing practices and transparency (eg. we can provide the names and locations of our suppliers and would like to publish auditing reports), giving us the means to focus on the things we find important with regards to production. We are working on the last leg of our manifesto, which we will also share with you in the next weeks.

To conclude for now, there are many questions we have received from you (through e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter) and we will endeavor to answer each one of them. We do also want to be clear along every step of our journey, so please do note that we are pioneering this new model and learning along the way.

We value any input from our community and a key objective of our social enterprise is to promote dialog about smartphone manufacturing  so please keep on asking these questions and supplying us your perspectives and useful input.

For more information on Sean’s views regarding purchasing practices and auditing please see this article on the hidden dangers of sub-contracting.

Note: This blog is Part One of Two. Based on the findings of our team currently traveling in China, we will be able to tell you more about FairPhone’s progress in the coming weeks. 

Designing in Circles: The Great Recovery Project

Since the Great Recovery launched in 2012, we have been travelling the length and breadth of the UK, visiting recycling plants, remanufacturing facilities, and materials mines trying to understand what happens to our products at the end of their lives. It’s blindingly obvious that with our earth’s finite resources and our current model of “take-make-dispose,” we are going to reach crisis point very soon.

Mobile phones are a perfect example. There is an estimated 85 million handsets sitting idle in homes in the UK, each containing on average 40 elements including gold and rare earths like tantalum. These elements are all currently lost to us, in the same way that the millions of tonnes of resources in landfill are. We need to find a way to prevent this flawed system, instead of simply digging more holes in the ground to throw rubbish in, and mine minerals out.

Eighty percent (80%) of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the concept and design phase, proving that design plays a vital role when making the move from a linear to a circular economy. Here at the Great Recovery, we are working with designers to explore and establish the best practices to move to these circular systems, so we have mapped out four main models that we think designers can apply to products and brief.

They are not all right for every product – part of the challenge is establishing which of these models works for your brief, which needs to be done at the very beginning of the design process to ensure that the chosen system is properly embedded.

So let’s run through these four systems, imagining that we are applying them to a mobile phone:

1. Design for Longevity

I’m currently faced with a dilemma: upgrade my perfectly functioning iPhone to a higher model, or be left with a painfully slow internet connection. Why? Because I upgraded my phone’s software, only to be told afterwards that my older handset was “not compatible” with the system upgrade. Electronics manufacturers are using our desire for the newest things to force planned obsolescence – the constant need to buy new products so that they continue to function.

To design for longevity, the designers primary concern needs to be to create well-crafted products that the user will not want, or need to, throw away. When it breaks the user can fix or upgrade the product themselves.

It is great to see FairPhone adopting this model with their “Smartly Designed” manifesto, ensuring they are “conscientious about a design that lasts and that considers the whole life-cycle of the product.”

2. Design for Service

New digital platforms and changing consumer behaviour are opening up worlds where we can share and lease products rather than own and buy. For a mobile phone, a leasing model would mean that the company would get the phone back when a newer model was required. They would then be able to repurpose or recover the materials in the old handset, ensuring their resources are staying within the company and can be used again. Service models require a complete system redesign as well as an understanding of added value to both the business and customer.

3. Design for re-use in manufacture

The cost of remanufacturing a mobile phone could be reduced by 50% per device, if they were easier to take apart and there were an incentive to return them.

This route requires designers to work more closely with manufacturers to see where remanufacturing opportunities lie, and strong business models to ensure an incentive to both customer and business.

4. Design for material recovery

On our visit to Sweeep, an e-waste facility in Kent, we saw how mixed e-waste was smashed or ground to bits using hammers and industrial rock crushers. If products were easier and faster to take apart a lot more of the 40 elements that live in a mobile phone could be recovered. Could there be a hidden catch which means that the phone simply pops open, making the speed of disassembly radically faster? This requires designers to work closely with recovery businesses, to give them a true insight into what happens at the end of these products’ life, and how to make it easier to unlock the materials.

As you can see, all of these systems cannot be put into place by a designer alone. To move to a circular economy, we need designers to work alongside materials scientists, manufacturers, recovery experts, policy makers and investors to make this possible, and the Great Recovery is working to build networks across all of these different areas, promoting collaboration and partnerships to move towards more circular systems.

Hilary Chittenden is a designer working on the Great Recovery project at the RSA, building networks to encourage a circular economy.

All images provided by Hilary Chittenden and the Great Recovery Project. Full “Mobile Phone Periodic Table” available here.

A Fair Price for Cobalt?

Editor’s Note: FairPhone asked Christian Kuijstermans from ActionAid Netherlands to write about his recent investigation into Cobalt minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Cobalt is one of many minerals in a mobile phone; mainly found in its batteries. Most of the world’s Cobalt originates in Africa, half of which from the mineral-rich province of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Even though Cobalt is not one of the “conflict-minerals” singled out by the international community (the Cobalt production areas in Katanga are – at the moment – rebel, and therefore conflict-free), it does not mean that production is fair. A large part of the mining is done by hand (artisanal mining) in mines 30 meters under ground. Estimations of the number of artisanal Cobalt miners in Katanga vary between 50,000 and 100,000. Taking into account the large families and other dependents, some 400,000 Congolese could easily be dependent on artisanal Cobalt mining, but most likely much more than that: enough reason to see whether FairPhone can contribute towards setting up a fair(er) Cobalt chain.

Gecamines-owned artisanal cobalt mining site

The Congolese Mining-law stipulates that to be able to work as an artisanal miner you need to be a member of a cooperative.

The idea of stimulating artisanal miners to group themselves is in principle a worthwhile idea. The reality of Congolese cooperatives, as I observed them in the Cobalt mining sector, is less laudable.

A cooperative can be registered on the basis of a single person and this has been the standard practice (of one or  often a few influential individuals). These little (or big) operators, once registered, acquire rights for certain artisanal mining areas. Any artisanal miner in the particular mine has two options: either to become a member or to leave the mine. Apart from the miners themselves the middlemen (négociants) are also members of the same cooperative. As was explained to me, these middlemen invest in the mine worker(s). They pay for their upkeep in the first phase of preparing the pit (and during production), and also provide them with tools for mining. Allhough this also does not seem like a bad deal at first glance (where else would someone without access to money get hold of funds to start mining?), reality hits the mineworker rather hard again.

Fifty percent of all produce is being handed over to the middleman as compensation for the investment; the value of which greatly surpasses the investment made by the middleman.

The situation for the mineworker is further aggravated by the fact that in most cases a one-man cooperative controls the mining pit. The cooperative signs a deal with an investor (mostly a locally registered enterprise that serves as a go-between for the mine and the industry), who receives the exclusive right to buy all produce coming from the mine. The investor obviously handsomely rewards the cooperative (read: it’s owner, not the members) for this right. This means that the investor in effect controls the price paid for the Cobalt. A mineworker has no opportunity to negotiate price (there is only one buyer available to him); and has no option but to accept the price offered. The fact that he is a member of a defunct cooperative, and the fact that it is not occupied with improving the rights of its own members, is understandably of little assistance to him. Was that the end of the ordeal for the mineworker? No. The equipment used to measure the grade of the ore as well as the scales for weighing the raw ore are owned and controlled by the – exclusive – buyer.

This mining tunnel has been deserted. The rain made it too dangerous to enter. The tunnel goes about 20 metres deep.

Tampering with both the grade as well as the scales is unfortunately a rather common practice. Questionable is also whether the price is established based on real world market prices, and whether calculations take the correct exchange rates between Congolese Franc and the Dollar into consideration. To top it off, a miner only gets paid according to the majority mineral, Cobalt, in the raw ore. He doesn’t get paid for any other minerals in the ore, of which there may be many (copper, silver, uranium, gold, etc). The above underlines why it would be worthwhile for ActionAid/FairPhone to focus on Cobalt production in Katanga. I have not even discussed addressing the difficult and dangerous working conditions for artisanal miners or the environmental damage caused. However, the above also shows that finding the right entry points is not easy. As several of my interlocutors explained during my visit,

a good start would be to have “real” cooperatives in the mines, those that represent and care for mine workers, thereby improving their bargaining position.

This is an environment where corruption is rife, legislation is flawed (more pro-industrial mining for instance), and its implementation is hardly enforced. Where political power has more to do with establishing access to government services and funds than it has to do with an obligation to serve the good of the people. And where as a consequence Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest theory sees new extreme aberrations, this is of course nothing more than a first step. Nevertheless an important one.

Christian Kuijstermans (1974, based in Cologne Germany) has experience working on human rights, governance and civil society in several African countries since many years, part of those on the ground in the Great Lakes Region. Since August 2012, he has been working as a part-time consultant for ActionAid Netherlands in its partnership with FairPhone.

Photos by Bas van Abel used by Creative Commons