Fairphone Podcast Fairphone

The "circular economy", a concept that is becoming more and more prominent in the current Zeitgeist. In short, it's an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and facilitating the continual use of resources. A world in which we are genuinely circular is one where materials can be used, recycled and reused to their fullest extent.

There's a catch, of course: for most materials, it's quite unlikely that recycling alone will be able to meet humanity's growing demands for them, at least in the coming decades. In addition, recycling also causes waste and we lose a notable amount of materials during the process. While globally we are recycling more, there are barriers.

On the journey towards a circular economy, it is critical to assess opportunities and acknowledge the limitations. Developing a mutual understanding of the needs and requirements will ultimately drive the preservation of resources and promote longevity. This is where the KPN-led initiative of the product circularity report comes in.

We can’t keep carrying on business as usual. The future is dependent on cultivating positive relationships with businesses that take responsibility for their products and work toward a more circular and fair economy. Some may ask themselves, “why should I care?” Perhaps it’s time to flip that on its head and ask, “why shouldn’t I care?”

We sat down with two business leaders that care. Our host Miquel Ballester chats to Vianney Vaute from Backmarket and Régis Koenig from the FNAC/Darty Group, about two businesses - at very different stages - that are tackling the challenge of extending the lifespan of consumer electronics.

The conversation twists and turns, from the new "new", the importance of software for longevity, breaking free from the constraints of the established ecosystems, the french repairability index and more.

We hope you enjoy.

Closing the Loop and Fairphone have delivered a result deemed impossible by many: the most problematic waste stream in tech was turned into commercial, societal and environmental value. The business case for African scrap battery recycling is now proven - and ready to be scaled.

We sat down with the minds behind the initiative and covered a lot of ground in our conversation. If you're interested in the facts and figures of the business case for African battery recycling, head on over to our website for the white paper:

Nous sommes fiers d'annoncer notre nouveau partenariat avec /e/ Foundation pour un système d'exploitation open-source qui donne la priorité au respect de la vie privée des utilisateurs.

Nous avons discutés avec le fondateur de /e/ Foundation , Gael Duval, et le directeur du marketing et des opérations, Alexis Noetinger, pour discuter de l'importance de la sécurité des données pour les utilisateurs finaux, ainsi que pour notre société!

Sound BYTES: With our podcast series, we're bringing you closer to the stories that drive our mission, giving you a peek behind the scenes of our efforts to change the industry. For all of you who don't have time for the full conversation and just want the highlights, we've got you covered with our Sound BYTES: Everything you need to know, in 10 minutes or less :)

Chances are you’ve grown increasingly aware of data security over the past few years; this isn’t just about protecting your email password or credit card number anymore. We’ve seen first hand, in real-time, the cost of intensive data extraction on our society. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal to new concerns over coronavirus contact-tracing apps, these abstract data-mining forces are changing how we shop, eat, socialize, think, vote, live.

So we're proud to announce our new partnership with /e/ Foundation for an open-source operating system that prioritizes user privacy.

We sat down with /e/ founder Gael Duval and marketing & operations manager Alexis Noetinger to discuss the importance of data security for individual users, as well as society as a whole.

(PS: We know the sound quality is not the best, but due to the current situation, we're recording these episodes through video meetings from remote locations. We wanted to bring you these stories despite the distance and hope you can bear with us, until we're back in our studio)