Fairphone a social enterprise on its challenging way to expand beyond the niche market and make fairer smartphones an attractive alternative for mass consumers

Abstract

The purpose of this work project is to give students insights into a pioneering social enterprise in the consumer electronics industry, a sector that is often associated with negative social and environmental impacts and involves very complex supply chains which make the establishment of sustainability measures in lower tiers difficult. This work aims to describe and analyse Fair-phone’s history, its approach towards increasing its phones’ “fairness”, and tensions that the company has encountered in the course of its growth-process. Through a case study format, students also learn about sustainability issues in the consumer electronics industry and related political reactions, and about Fairphone’s competitors and their sustainability approaches.