Fairphone - 2022 impact report review
I’ve been wanting to read Fairphone’s impact report for a while. But I’ve been psyching myself up to it as the full report is 93 pages. It didn’t disappoint though and there’s also a three page ‘highlights’ version.
👍🏻 3 things I like...
1. BEST EXAMPLE OF THEORY OF CHANGE & METRICS I’VE SEEN
They have a clear, structured theory of change (impact strategy) with metrics aligned to this, split between outcome KPIs and impact KPIs.
This is the very best example I’ve seen of this.
2. OBJECTIVE TO INFLUENCE & CHANGE THE WHOLE INDUSTRY
Fairphone are operating in a hugely complex industry with so many inbuilt issues – e.g. mining, factories, planned obsolescence, e-waste.
They’re challenging the status quo and trying to change the whole industry by proving that a new way of doing things is viable.
They want to “prove that it’s possible to make more ethical business choices while still being a commercial success.”
This is (I think) why the report is so long and detailed, and packed with data. It’s because their intended audience is their industry peers – this report is there to inform them and to influence change.
3. FAIRPHONE EASY SERVICE SUBSCRIPTION
They are testing a new business model that could helps prove the feasibility and viability of a circular approach.
❓3 questions it raises
1. WHAT’S THEIR TEAM STRUCTURE?
What are functions and roles within the business? How many people are in each function? How does that align with their strategy and where they place focus?
2. WHAT MIGHT BE THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF PROVING THE FAIRPHONE EASY BUSINESS MODEL?
If they can prove the Fairphone Easy business model, how could that inspire more circular business models across a whole range of industries? The ripple effects far outside the mobile phone industry could be huge.
3. IS THEIR APPROACH TO CALCULATING LONGEVITY VERIFIED?
Longevity of Fairphones versus traditional phones is a huge driver of their lower environmental impact versus industry peers – it contributes 90% of their total CO2e avoidance figures.
Has their approach to calculating longevity been externally validated?
My concern is that it relies on people’s reported expectations around how long they will keep using their phone. And yet reported expected behaviour can often be wildly different to what people actually do.
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You can read the report for yourself here and let me know what you think.
Here's a link to the three page highlights report.
If you’re preparing to write your own impact report, you might find my FREE Impact Reporting Roadmap helpful: