As you know, here at Fairphone we strive to disrupt the technology industry from the inside by offering a more fair and sustainable smartphone. We push boundaries and don’t offer empty promises. We walk the talk and often do this by joining forces with some incredible companies. Our latest partnership is a collective of European companies that are working together to create a more responsible and ethical way of operating in the technology sector. It’s called FairTEC.

Who is FairTEC?

We teamed up with five ethical tech companies here in Europe: /e/, TeleCoop, Commown, WEtell and Phone Co-op, to create FairTEC. Each of these actors is committed to digital sustainability and this partnership is a foundation for a new business model that puts the user and the environment at the center.

We are working together to offer credible and sustainable alternatives, such as renting a fair smartphone (Commown), selecting a more responsible telecom operator (TeleCoop/The Phone Co-op/WEtell) and using an alternative operating system (/e/). From the hardware to the operating system, from the network to its business model, we are offering an alternative eco-system that addresses numerous parts of the smartphone value chain.

Why now?

It is not news that the pandemic created a major shift in the way we communicate. We have become increasingly more reliant on technology in all its forms. From the meeting zoom room where professional on top, casual on bottom became the new norm to keeping in contact with loved ones both near and far. But with this incredible shift in our relationship with technology, we also started to become more aware. More aware of what we eat, what we watch, how we engage with people and the world.

Yet what we have not, as a collective, become aware of is the societal and environmental impact of our digital dependence. Large global technology companies have been promising a “greener future”, yet their sights are set on the future not the present. We can’t wait for the future. We must act now and begin the difficult, but not impossible, task of changing the behaviors of both the industry and the consumers. That’s why this partnership is so exciting and important. FairTEC is taking a holistic approach to nudge change, with the aim of making a genuine (positive) impact for the user and the environment.

“We want to provide Fairphone users with phones that are not only sustainable but that make an overall positive impact on the world, whether that’s with an operating system that protects privacy, a mobile subscription where they only pay for what they use or a service leasing model that takes us one step closer to a circular economy.” — Eva Gouwens

It’s time for all of us to become more mindful and responsible in how we interact with our electronics. Technology isn’t going anywhere so instead of ignoring the elephant in the room, engage with it by educating yourself in how you can start changing your own behavior one baby step at a time.