What began as an awareness campaign in 2010 has in just over a decade grown into Fairphone, which last year sold thousands of phones made from responsibly sourced and recycled materials.
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Although about 99% of the phones the Netherlands-based firm makes are sold to individuals, corporates are starting to show interest, its Chief Executive Eva Gouwens told Reuters.
Fairphone sold 95,000 phones last year.
"We have a programme in the DRC where we work with the Fair Cobalt Alliance to improve the situation in artisanal mines," Gouwens said of Fairphone, which sources its cobalt from several countries.
The Fair Cobalt Alliance aims to make artisanal mines safer, minimize their environmental impact and create suitable working conditions for the men and women working at these sites
When Fairphone started in 2013, the aim was to appeal to the "darker green" audience, people prepared to compromise on the functionality and contribute to sustainability.
It is now aiming to expand into what Gouwens calls the "lighter green" area, consumers interested in sustainability and fairness, but less willing to compromise on functionality.
"In the whole lifetime of Fairphone we have sold more than 300,000 devices," Gouwens said.
Fairphone made a profit of 2 million euros ($2.27 million) in 2020.
