Talking about Fairphone with Your Co-op Mobile

Fairphone is the highest scorer in our guide to ethical mobile phones. Key features are a modular design and responsibly-sourced Fairtrade and recycled materials. Your Coop Mobile is a phone and broadband provider and part of the Midcounties Co-operative.

Ethical Consumer: Can you share a bit about the history of Fairphone and why Your Co-op Mobile chose to partner with them in the mobile phone market?

Your Co-op Mobile: Fairphone began in 2013 with a mission to change the smartphone and wider tech industry for the better, by minimising environmental impacts and prioritising workers' health and safety. Since then, Fairphone has released 5 iterations of smartphones with significant developments in sustainability, easily replaceable spare parts and tech performance with every release.

Inside the latest Fairphone you can find recycled and fair-minded materials, including Fairtrade gold, fair tungsten and recycled tin, copper and plastics. As opposed to conflict minerals.

Since the launch of Fairphone's first smartphone, Your Co-op Mobile has been a dedicated partner, supporting them every step of the way. It’s no secret that ethics, fairness and sustainability are part of our core values and mission, so for us partnering with a tech company that shares these principles made perfect sense.

Together we are promoting and providing Your Co-op Mobile customers and members with the world’s fairest smartphones, headphones and earbuds that don’t leave a dent in the planet or the communities that the materials are sourced from.

What have been the most challenging aspects for Your Co-op Mobile to develop Fairphone in the UK market?

From the humble beginning of Fairphone, there has always been a core audience that care deeply about limiting their environmental impact through conscious consumption. No matter their previous device, even if it was an iOS smartphone and it meant switching to Android. While appreciation for the sustainability credentials of the Fairphone can be seen by a diverse audience, in our experience, drawing a mainstream/typical consumer away from Apple iOS electronics proves to be a tough test.

In 2024, iOS has a market share of approximately 46%, making a large portion of the consumer population an unlikely sell to Fairphone. However, customers who are used to Android operating systems are able to switch to Fairphone with a strong sense of familiarity. 

Recent releases of the Fairphone 4 and 5 have seen tech performance become increasingly competitive and repairability even simpler. This has increased the appeal of Fairphone in recent years which is evidenced as sales for Your Co-op Mobile and across Europe trend upwards year-on-year. 

From Your Co-op Mobile's perspective, what is the most rewarding aspect of working with Fairphone?

Our purpose is to help create a fairer, more sustainable and ethical future for all, which starts with Your Co-op Mobile members, customers and the communities we are present in, but certainly doesn’t end there. With Fairphone, we are able to provide a variety of solutions for customers in technology that perfectly aligns with our purpose.

This is the most rewarding element of working with Fairphone, but you might be wondering, what are these solutions and how this is it made possible for technology to support the planet and communities? 

For people: For the workers and their families, there are living wages paid and living wage bonuses so that they can work at Fairphone and not just survive financially. From the artisanal mines to the factory lines, there are improved working conditions and representation so health and safety is protected, and worker-influenced change can be brought forward. 

For the planet: CO2 emissions are carefully monitored and minimised at every possible opportunity. In fact, Fairphone’s "fair factories" are powered entirely by renewable energy. Their devices are built to last, featuring modular designs that allow for easy part replacement, helping to reduce e-waste. Additionally, the devices are made using recycled and responsibly sourced materials, including Fairtrade gold, making them some of the most sustainably produced electronics available.

Do you think that the success of Fairphone has made mainstream mobile phone companies more aware of their ethical and environmental responsibilities?

From our market research following the release of the Fairphone 4 and 5, there is certainly a greater amount of emphasis put into the ‘green credentials’ of big-brand mobiles coming to market. 

Since the start of the decade, major brands like Apple, Google, and Samsung have increasingly highlighted their efforts toward sustainability on their websites, focusing on initiatives such as recycled plastics, conflict-free minerals, and eco-friendly packaging. We believe that Fairphone has played a key role in raising awareness about corporate responsibility and meeting consumer demands. However, there is still significant room for improvement, and the first major brand to integrate repairability into their smartphones will be following in Fairphone's footsteps.

As demand for Fairphone grows, are there challenges in maintaining the high ethical standards?

There is no inherent link between growth and maintaining high ethical standards. Fairphone produces durable devices, and the longer a phone is used, the less demand there is for new raw materials. Fairphone already incorporates recycled materials and is committed to expanding its recycling initiatives. 

Additionally, it's important to recognize that providing livelihoods to ASM (artisanal and small-scale mining) workers is beneficial, as long as mining is conducted safely and responsibly. In regions where ASM is often the only source of employment, responsible mining can be a positive force. The aim is not to eliminate ASM but to make it safer and encourage the transition to responsible small and medium-sized mining enterprises, all while increasing circularity.

Having partnered with Fairphone for over a decade, and having supported them through their earliest releases, we’ve seen first-hand how the company has consistently evolved. Maintaining and even improving their high ethical standards is an exciting challenge, and we look forward to supporting Fairphone’s growth in the UK market.