I’ve been looking into the critical mineral catastrophes of DRC and wondering if there are any ethical phones available. I’ve only been able to find Fairphone which ticks the boxes but wondering about its coverage in Australia. Maybe the best way is to refurbish my reburbished phone. Thoughts?
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There are multiple sources of the parts in any mobile device and many more inputs/materials required to deliver the final product. Depending on ones definition of ethical can any expect a modern product to tick all the boxes? Consider that the mobile one might purchase on line and ship to Australia. Each freight provider along the way requires equipment for transport, technical devices/IT and communications to facilitate supply. How certain can any be these too only source ethically produced equipment, IT infrastructure and …..?
Refurbishing and reusing is one strategy to reduce footprint. For tech products the average user/consumer needs to be aware that at a certain point in the age of a tech product it will loose support. There will be added security risks for devices such as mobile phones. Technology also advances - obsolescence another factor. Refurbishing is most often replacing the battery if not holding charge, and possibly a new screen of damaged. The total cost possibly difficult to justify compared to a new model or more recent refurbished second hand model only a few years old.
Choice product reviews where practical include a “shop ethical rating”. Observations are that it is uncommon to find many products with a top tier score, but common to find many with lesser outcomes.
Personal preference is to purchase the current model of mobile device close to release of the next model (typically annual cycles) for a better price. The device is kept until either updates are no longer available, or function is lost/reduced through technology change. EG 3G closure, essential Apps no longer supported on older OS etc. Wisdom to look to the manufacturer, where the product is made and the number of years of support offered. There is often better value in cheaper current models of the more respected brands. Caution as the lower price points involve compromise through the use of yesterday’s chips (processing power). This may reduce the useful life if one is using the device for more than basic phone services and SMS/messaging services. I’ve had several quite old 3G only mobiles which happily made it to near the end of 3G. One with an externally replaceable battery (Samsung) but only practically useful foe SMS and calls.
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I suggest that Fairphones only ticks some boxes, such as avoiding suppliers which fund arms purchases and child labour. It doesn’t tick all the ethical boxes and I would tread cautiously with their claims if making a purchase decision only on this basis.
DRC has notoriously poor environmental practices. Mining in DRC causes severe and irreversible environmental damage. Such damage impacts on local ecology, water quality, fisheries and local communities. Many operations also lack basic health and safety for their employees, which are now standard practices in developed nations.
There are many reports of the major problems which existing relation to mining in the DRC, such as this one:
If Fairphone, or any other electronics manufacturer had ethics, they would avoid any mining products sourced from the DRC (other sources are available), rather than making claims they tick a box or two (some limited to being ticked some time in the future), but not all ticked today.
I have also read why Fairphone sources critical minerals from DRC. They justify doing so as are optimistic that some time in the future, they can influence changes to make sourced minerals ethically better. I am not as optimistic.
This would be a perfect solution. But, even this solution has challenges. These include loss of support for installed firmware, change in transmission technology (moving to higher Gs over time), lack of app developer support for older operating systems etc etc. The mobile phone industry is set up to make long term refurbishment of phones, near impossible or without substantial compromises.
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I recommend a web search. There are far more relevant forums than this one i.e. those dedicated to Fairphone and/or Fairphone in Australia.
I expect it will work in Australia but there may be warranty / availability issues. e.g. Registration in non supported Country - Fairphone 4 - Fairphone Community Forum
By “it”, it is assumed that we are eventually talking about a specific version of Fairphone. (Looks like the Fairphone 6 is the latest.)
Moderator’s note: There is the possibility the selected model may not function fully or be registered by your mobile provider to their network. Mobile devices are required to comply with regulated standards. The requirements for compliance and submission for approval rest with the mobile devices manufacturer/importer. The mobile network operators are also responsible for ensuring that they only connect authorised models. Buy a genuine device - AMTA | The Voice of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Industry
So I would definitely make contact with some actual current Australian Fairphone users (of which I am not one) before pulling the trigger on a purchase. Edit: So to be absolutely clear, because of the, um, situation in the previous paragraph, when you are making enquiries, you need to ask the Fairphone user what network the phone is being used on and then make sure that that network suits your purposes.
“ethical” is of course in the eye of the beholder, and it is not a binary thing. So I’m leaving that to others.
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May want to investigate LineageOS which extends the life of old hardware.
It can for phones which support it. But, I personally wouldn’t recommend it for most users of older phones which are losing their functionality due to their age .
LineageOS isn’t for most users as it requires some technical competency. Not all apps are supported on LineageOS and doesn’t come with many familiar pre-installed apps (i.e. Google Play or any other proprietary apps). They can be run but isn’t as simple as that for OEM android.
We have run it on Raspberry Pi and it is somewhat challenging to setup. A limitation is if there are phone manufacturer updates to fix firmware bugs or security risks, these won’t come through as an update with LineageOS. Also, if the phone has a warranty, it may void the remainder of the manufacturer’s warranty. It is also likely to have implications for consumers rights under the ACL.
It isn’t a perfect solution, but, might be worth tinkering with for those who want to give it a try.
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No comment on the ‘ethical’ side of things, but definitely want to add my 2 cents as a current Fairphones Fairbuds user and customer service, support and quality. I do not have a fairphones phone.
I have had Fairbuds since early Jan (bought through Amazon) this year and am still within warranty. Wanted to love them (repairability yada yada yada) but very glitchy (Bluetooth has a mind of its own and battery life seem to have deteriorated substantially in a short period of time.) I would not mind these issues if customer service would get back to me, or if I could actually buy the darn batteries from Australia. looks like you need to be in Europe if you want to purchase from the online store. I submitted a customer service ticket back in June, and other than a message 10 days later saying they have delays, I have heard zilch.
I agree with another poster ‘person’ to check out the Fairphones-specific forum and investigate Australian users. I posted my Fairbuds-specific issue to the Fairphones forum and I can see a few other users have had similar problems without any help from customer support.
My suggestion? If 1) you see that the phone you like has no technical issues (ie you do not anticipate needing customer support) and 2) Australian users seem satisfied; then fairphones could be for you … otherwise I would only say it’s worth it if you’re in Europe.
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Definitely for tinkerers … I ran Cyanogenmod for a long time, the death of that and the fork to Lineage wasn’t a pleasant experience. I’ve tried Lineage a few times but never felt the love. Rooting an Android device also comes with limitations with some apps refusing to run in that environment - usually the ones we use the most, banking etc.
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