This is how Fairphone is changing the smartphone industry from the inside out

Creating fair(er) phones, that is Fairphone‘s mission. As Circular Innovation Lead, Miquel Ballester knows all about how to make an impact. We interviewed him about his role at Fairphone, ambitions and future plans.

You have been with Fairphone pretty much from the start. What makes Fairphone unique, according to you??

We zijn een sociale onderneming en we zijn geboren vanuit de behoefte om sociale en We are a social enterprise, and we were born to inspire social and environmental change in the electronics industry – through the development of our own product, which makes all of our projects much more tangible and powerful. What makes us unique is the impact that we have with this approach: Sustainability is not an afterthought, it’s at the core of what we do.

You are the Circular Innovation Lead at Fairphone. How would you describe this role?

I’m part of the Value Chain Innovation team. We’re always looking for new opportunities and collaborations to make an impact in the electronics industry. My focus within the team is anything that has to do with the transition to the circular economy. This doesn’t only include recycling but also the design and longevity of our product. We did a project in Ghana for example, in which we collected old phones and recycled them.

What would a typical day look like for you?

I’m an early bird, so I usually get to the office at 7:30 am. When there’s no one around, I can focus best. I write briefings for new projects or go through my emails for example. From 9:00 am my colleagues start to come in and there are usually meetings scheduled. In our weekly team meeting, we discuss our projects and the challenges that come with them. Within the value chain team, we all have our own specific topics – giving us the opportunity to learn from each other. And since we’re always looking to collaborate with external experts, I also have meetings outside of the office.

At lunchtime, the entire Fairphone team comes together. 70 great people work in our HQ in total, and it’s really cool to see everyone mixing during this time of the day. In the afternoon I try not to have too many meetings. I have some focus time again and finish up the work I have to do that day before I leave the office at 4 pm. I live in Rotterdam, so I have 40 minutes of commute. In the evening I like to work out and I spent a lot of time cooking, maybe too much time (laughs).

Just like it is for us, recycling materials is an important part of your work. How does Fairphone approach this?

We believe in a circular economy and we are working towards integrating more recycled materials into our phones. Realistically though, we will always need virgin materials as well. Therefore, mining will continue to be a part of the supply chain. But when we use virgin materials, we make sure that they are sourced in the right conditions. We are currently collaborating with Solidaridad and Unicef on a project in Uganda. This project is all about improving the standards of the working conditions in the mines. Right now, there’s a focus on wages, health and safety. In the future, we will keep on working on new materials and continue to develop the communities that live from mining. We really want to be a vehicle for change in the regions that need it most.

Looking back at your achievements with Fairphone 2, what would you say is a major product milestone?

Fairphone 2 is the first modular smartphone in the industry. We made it modular, because we want people to keep our phones far beyond the industry average of two years. This design makes it a lot easier to repair separate parts of the phone. It’s possible to change a phone screen without any tools for example – in under a minute. And it has lots of benefits for recycling as well, as this project with vanPlestik demonstrates.

Fairphone’s community is of great value for the company, can you tell us some more about that?

We zijn erg danWe are very thankful for our community, they have been really patient with us. A big part of our community is very engaged in what we do. We take their ideas and complaints very seriously – ultimately, they help us grow.

And when we talk about our community, we’re thinking about Fairphone customers, but also about our employees and partners that share our goals and ambitions. They are often an essential source of knowledge on where we are going and what we are doing.

Why are Fairphone and vanPlestik a good match, according to you?

We love vanPlestik’s approach to recycling! Using waste material that otherwise would be discarded is something that really speaks to us. Often, plastic waste in consumer electronics is burned. We wanted to put the plastic waste we have as a company to good use, so we are really happy with this collaboration.

What are the plans for the coming year?

We are always on the hunt for new impact projects. On a product level, we are continually reinventing as well. We are currently working on a new product. Unfortunately, we can’t share too many details about that just yet, it’s still in the development stage… stay tuned!

Besides that, we are looking into offering Fairphone as a service. In collaboration with Circular Economy, we are doing a pilot for businesses at the moment. The goal is to extend the lifecycle of our product, as we’ve seen that very few devices come back to us. If the phones are returned after use, it’s easier to refurbish or recycle them.

What change does Fairphone hope to make in the industry?

We hope that one day, the amount of recycled material becomes a topic to consider in the process of a consumer buying a product. Whether it’s a smartphone, toaster or washing machine. To make this happen, we have to lead by example. We believe that the best way to change the industry is to be a part of it. By making phones, we’re establishing a market for fairer electronics, opening up the supply chain, creating a positive impact and building new relationships between people and their products.

Increasing the hygiene level during the Covid-19 crisis

During the latest Coronavirus outbreak, measures and restrictions have been put into place to protect the population from getting infected. Among these are the requirements of wearing face masks, washing your hands regularly, and keeping the required distance. The outbreak also opened up a new market with the demand for products to protect yourself from the fast-spreading virus. We saw this as a great challenge to take on by applying our technique of 3D printing.

Part of the solution, not the problem 

Although it is uncertain how long the virus is able to survive on a surface like a doorknob, it is believed to stay there for multiple hours. Hygienic Hooks help you avoid touching doorknobs and other objects in order to stay safe and keep you from getting in contact with the virus. These hooks allow you to open doors and push elevator buttons without touching the actual surface, usually, they are made out of metal or virgin plastics. The team of vanPlestik decided to take the concept of the Hygienic Hook to the next level by producing a recycled version that is fast to produce but still fulfills the purpose of avoiding infection.

A smart technique behind a simple design 

We’ve spent years developing our designs and working on our printers in order to make sure that we produce robust furniture pieces. Our normal process involves making sure that all of our printers melt layer upon layer in order for it to stick together, resulting in a stable object. With these Hygienic Hooks our production process had to be changed again and we basically wanted to achieve the exact opposite. By applying our 3D printing technique, we are able to print these hooks in layers of which we can then ‘peel off’ multiple hooks. In this case, the technique has become very useful and allows us to create one big print, which results in potentially hundreds of these protective hooks. With this new and inventive technique of peeling off layers, we can now work on a semi mass production level by delivering a fast solution, saving energy by using recycled plastic, and helping the plastic recycling problem in the process.
Conventional plastic production techniques require a more complicated and therefore longer production process to produce a high quantity of objects. Compared to the most common used process, our technique enables us to go from idea to full-on production in just days, which saves us time and allows us to work independently. With our design, we can help everyone to stay safe and still stay true to working with 100% recyclable plastic.

Wouldn’t it be great if a tool for a health crisis that spread globally also supports the solution of another worldwide problem; the pollution of plastic waste?

vanPlestik is looking for an enthusiastic content creator / media & communication intern with a talent for photography.

During this internship you will work on external communication for various vanPlestik projects, in text as well as image. In a short period of time you will learn all about working in a small but ambitious company. You will experience at first hand how our products and projects are developed, while getting a lot of responsibility as well as the necessary guidance. You will be working in a dynamic, small and close team.

YOU:

Are a star in communicating and know how to convert an idea into clear communication. You can write inviting and fluent texts and you have experience in creating images / photography / graphic designs. You are responsible for the communications of vanPlestik and for setting up social media activities. You help create, set up and implement (online) marketing & promotional activities. In addition, you assist with the preparation of workshops and events and support the team where necessary with daily activities.

You contribute to:

• Awareness
• Social media / content creation
• Newsletter / flyers
• Website updates
• Events
• Presentations

Job requirements:

• You are studying / have have a degree in the field of communication, marketing and / or digital media
• You are a strong communicator (in speaking as well as writing)
• You have experience with photography, preferably product photography
• Talent for visual media
• You have basic skills in Microsoft Office and preferably Adobe
• You like to take action and you have a proactive attitude
• You have an interest in (plastic) recycling

WE:

Plastic waste causes major problems for people and nature worldwide. Fortunately, more and more attention is being paid to the separate and collection of plastic waste. However, far too little of this waste is turned into new products. vanPlestik has developed and built a 3D printer that uses plastic waste as a raw material. With this, we make plastic recycling possible locally. We convert plastic waste on demand into unique, high-quality and affordable objects – such as furniture and parts for the local industry. We are a young company with a mission: to develop beautiful circular products, make people aware of the plastic waste problem and save as much plastic waste as possible from the incinerator. vanPlestik is based in Amsterdam and collaborates with companies such as Brewery de Prael, Awakenings, Hema, Ikea and the Municipality of Amsterdam.

Do you want to contribute to our mission? Please contact roos@vanplestik.nl Send a short motivation, CV and portfolio and let us know when you want to start the internship. Ask? Call Roos on 06-30064962.