Conflict minerals are one of the most commonly overlooked social issues in the world today. For decades countries including the LRA-affected Democratic Republic of Congo have been ravaged for their vast wealth of natural resources in lieu of their most precious resources – people. Tin, tantalum, and tungsten in particular, are excavated from the mines of Eastern Congo, with little to no regard for the human rights of those excavating them. These three minerals are most commonly used in our cell phones and other electronics devices.
When Amsterdam based entrepreneur Van Abel was asked how people could raise awareness of these conflict minerals, he came to the conclusion that the current solution didn’t offer a viable alternative, telling FastCompany;
“We thought, the best case scenario was that we could make people angry. But then what? Actually, there is no alternative for people to take. You can choose green energy and fair-trade chocolate. But you can’t choose a phone with a better vision on ethics. So we said: ‘why not just make this phone?'”
He’s doing just that. By the end of 2013, his company expects to begin selling a conflict free smart phone, one of the first of its kind. FairPhone is planning an initial run of 10,000 phones, and with nearly 8,000 people already on the waiting list, it’s expected to take on a second production run shortly after its first.
The initial run of the phone won’t be available through U.S. carriers but will be available through carriers in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United kingdom, for an estimated $390 (300 euros).
Van Abel sees FairPhone as a storytelling tool that if successful, could change consumerism and positively affect the human rights abuses surrounding conflict minerals.
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