How to ensure your next smartphone pick is as eco-friendly as possible.
There is a scene (spoiler alert) towards the end of The Good Place where the main characters are trying to enter the titular heavenly realm. Upon arriving at the cosmic morality scales, they find that no human has successfully entered for centuries – in large part due to the ethical burdens of modern consumerism. The example of buying a rose for someone is used, an outwardly selfless act. However, we see that the flower may have been grown using pesticides that damage the environment, have been picked by an exploited laborer, have a large carbon footprint from travel and more. From the show the moral is simple, being ethical today is near impossible. Supply chains have become so big and so extended it is increasingly difficult to know exactly where our products are from, and the damage that may have been caused by their creation. This is rarely more the case than with smartphones. Billions of these devices are in circulation, containing sometimes dangerous elements, manufactured under often exploitative conditions and dumped in landfills after use. No manufacturer is exempt; the ethical and ecological quandaries which plague the industry are a group effort. So as a consumer, what then can be done to make a difference and break the cycle? Read on to find out five ways to make your next smartphone as eco-friendly and ethically sound as possible. With something like a smartphone, so many varying and obscure elements go into their manufacture that it becomes almost impossible to ensure that every component is produced and sourced ethically. That hasn’t stopped some from trying. Dutch firm Fairphone was among the first to do so, making its raison d’etre the manufacture and sale of phones that are as fair as possible, to minimize the human and environmental cost of their production. This means workers who are paid a living wage, parts bought at fair-trade prices, factories in conflict-free zones and sustainable manufacturing processes wherever possible. It is even reflected in the design of its signature product range, the Fairphone. Each of these sold can be disassembled with only the use of a Philips screwdriver, and each of its constituent components can be replaced. These are smartphones which are made to last for years.
