Dealing with hazardous substances in electronics manufacturing is complex due to extensive legislation. At Fairphone, we focus on protecting worker safety and safeguarding the environment by maintaining responsible operational practices across our supply chain.

We outline our expectations for partner policies and operational practices in our policy document Ways of Working Together. This includes standards and procedures for production, collection, transportation, storage, and treatment of hazardous materials and waste. Partners may also use alternative products and procedures that exceed these minimums.

What we expect from our partners

We work with suppliers who commit to high standards of health, safety, and environmental care across the entire lifecycle of hazardous materials.

Protecting worker health and safety

Suppliers who work with Fairphone commit to the following safety practices:

• Maintain documentation and records to prove compliance with applicable laws and standards.
• Adopt and apply practices to prevent, measure, and track health and safety hazards.
• Participate in periodic facility evaluations and supplier due diligence assessments supported by Fairphone.

Because some hazardous substances are currently necessary in smartphone manufacturing, we encourage suppliers to minimize harm through effective prevention and emergency response.

Protecting the environment and managing waste

Our environmental policies focus on the handling and treatment of hazardous waste. Partners commit to:

• Minimize the generation of hazardous waste directly at the source.
• Prevent mixing hazardous waste with other waste streams.
• Maintain full traceability of hazardous waste from production to its final destination.
• Use permitted, professional entities to ensure handling, transport, and treatment comply with local and international standards.

How Fairphone actively reduces hazardous substances

We approach hazardous substance management through continuous research, strict legal compliance, and direct factory collaboration.

Material compliance and testing

• RoHS compliance: We collect RoHS compliance documentation and test reports for all spare parts and components. This ensures levels of restricted chemicals such as lead, cadmium, chromium VI, PBDEs, and PBBs do not surpass the thresholds set in RoHS regulations (1,000 ppm, except cadmium at 100 ppm).
• REACH regulations: We require suppliers to regularly track Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) above 1,000 ppm. The REACH restricted substance list updates every six months.
• Full material disclosures (FMD): We collect FMDs detailing the specific types of substances—hazardous or otherwise—contained in a component. We have collected disclosures for over 80% of the 500+ components used in the Fairphone 2, allowing us to evaluate material composition and target extra substances step by step.
• Supplier assessments: For early models like the Fairphone 1 and Fairphone 2, we worked with experts to review safety data sheets from accredited sources to evaluate risk and arrange proper protective equipment and working environments.

Factory safety and chemical management

We work directly with manufacturers during labor condition audits and Industrial Hygiene assessments to support and co-develop:

• Chemical management systems for factory operations.
• Worker training programs and access to protective equipment.
• Management plans in case of an accident.
• Safe chemical alternatives.

Specific substance action plan

Challenges remain because manufacturing smartphones involves complex chemical processes, but we take this step by step and will share our progress along the way.