this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
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Fairphone has created a smartphone that owners can repair themselves - This sustainable smartphone aims to reduce global electronic waste::In a bid to reduce global electronic waste, Fairphone has created a smartphone that owners can repair themselves. What makes its technology so sustainable?

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (6 children)

This is total green washing marketing bs.

They purposely removed the headphone jack and started selling disposable earbuds. This one move alone will generate more ewaste than any swappable parts.

This company is full of it. They don't care about the environment and they certainly don't care about their customers.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

While the headphone issue is problematic, it's a single issue amidst a deluge of ethical and sustainable practices by the company. Including, but not limited to:

Fairphone carefully sources the components in every device, and the workers who put them together have safe and healthy working conditions. Where possible, Fairphone uses recycled materials (plastic, tin solder paste, steel, and nickel alloy), sources Fairtrade gold, and buys cobalt and silver credits to support the improvement of working conditions for miners.

The factories that make the Fairphone pay a living wage to workers. It also employs 100 percent renewable energy. Fairphone invests in projects to reduce CO2 emissions, and to balance bringing a new phone into the world, Fairphone recycles the equivalent amount of e-waste. It has a B Corp certification, which means its claims have been independently vetted, and Fairphone regularly releases impact reports.

(As reported by wired.com)

Absolutely they should get push back on the headphone situation. But calling it "greenwashibg marking bs" is textbook "letting perfect be the enemy of good". Simply put, almost no other company even competes with Fairphone in the field of ethical phone manufacturing.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 11 months ago

Are you going to back that up with something or stick to "my word is truth"? Because it doesn't take much to go to their site and see that the earbuds are discontinued. Or that for a company full of it they sure go to great lengths about being transparent. They even have a page explaining why they removed the headphone jack.

I get that their own site could all be "just marketing" but that's why I'm asking where's the proof that they're as shitty as you claim?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

they certainly don’t care about their customers.

Yes, because if they did they would make sure to provide the security required by GrapheneOS.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (6 children)

I mean, how many people still use wired earbuds? I'd be surprised if it is 5% of users

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I would still us wired earbuds if my phone still had a headphone jack... It hard to find a good phone that still has a jack and this sucks

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Use a dongle or usb c earbuds

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I had 2, lost both :(

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

"I mean, how many people in this town eat hamburgers anyway? Ever since the only hamburger shop for miles around burned down I would be surprised if it's 5%"

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

Me, everyday. Bluetooth just doesn't offer the same sound quality.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

I have three pairs of wired earphones (plus more regular headphones) and a portable DAC amp. I know what you mean though, Bluetooth headphones really are the norm these days. The tech in them also make them hard to repair.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I use a usbc dac and a 3d printed brace to prevent it from bending. For how infrequently I use the earbuds it's fine for me. Most of my phone based music listening is at work on an AliExpress Bluetooth device hooked up to the speakers pulled from my car before junking it. (Catalytic had been stolen and it had 400+ thou. km on it)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I do, however the headphone jack on my last phone was so bad I ended up just using the dongle anyway to get decent audio.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

The headphone jack is worse off than just the USBc port.

While I'd like two USB ports (one in top and in on bottom), the headphone jack won't be missed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I can disagree with this a little. At least the bootloader isn't locked. But overall, you're right.