Bas van Abel

By designing and producing the first modular designed, and thus longer lasting, smartphone, building a conflict free and fair supply and production chain, Bas van Abel with his company Fairphone is creating a movement of ethical consumption while shifting the smartphone industry – one of the most complex supply chains- towards ethical production and complete transparency, fueling change instead of conflict. Bas founded Fairphone to build a movement for fairer electronics, using three strategies:

Firstly, by creating a smartphone which shows the whole electronics industry it is possible to produce fair and sustainable products even in one of the most challenging and complex industries (electronic consumer goods). Secondly, by designing for re-use and longer life-cycles of the various elements of the phone, he introduced the first modular phone on the market. And thirdly, by ‘raising’ a new generation of consumers that is aware of the way electronic products are designed and produced, literally creating a market for electronic products that put ethical values first. By doing this Fairphone creates a social innovation platform for all stakeholders in the electronics supply chain.