European Fairphoners Community Trip: 2018 edition

Fairphone
Fairphone
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read

A few weeks ago, we had the chance to spend time with several members of the Fairphone Community. For us, this is an important moment to remember why we’re working to improve the electronics industry. It helps us take a moment to reflect, celebrate together, and keep on going with renewed optimism. We’ve asked Chris, part of the group that was in our Amsterdam HQ recently, to share his thoughts about the trip, being a Fairphone Angel, and prospects for the coming year.


The European Fairphoners Community Trip or EFCT is an international gathering organised by the Fairphone Community. This year was the third trip, meeting in Amsterdam from the 13th August until the 19th. Each year we’ve combined a mix of sightseeing, communal activities and workshops at the Fairphone office.

EFCT 2018

I was unfortunately unable to attend the first EFCT in 2016, but it’s been the highlight of my calendar since then to make sure I don’t miss out! It’s really good to be around like-minded people and to discuss serious issues like circular economy and recycling (after all we all want to spread a serious message about sustainability and the benefits of Fairphone) while having a little fun too. In 2017 we agreed the principles behind the community led Fairphone Angels programme which has continued to grow. The angels programme brings together volunteers in your local community that can help with repairs, software issues and general questions among other things.

Workshops during the EFCT 2017

This year activities included a bike trip to Alkmaar (with a cold swim at the beach), a visit to the Cathedral Tower in Utrecht, and a kayak trip around the city canals. Many games were played including Exploding Kittens with the help of ‘the cone of shame’ . The highlight of the trip for me was being able to celebrate the success of the crowdfunding campaign with the Fairphone team and have a borrel (an informal social gathering). Reaching the maximum funding of 250% is a major achievement and an endorsement of the principles of fairer and easily repairable electronics.

I came from a bit of a technical background, back in my childhood we had computers and we were able to take them apart, try and fix them (…).

It was the principle of making the electronics industry fairer and the ability to make repairs easily that brought me to Fairphone in the first place, and it’s great to see that this vision is continuing to attract new interest almost five years on since the launch of the FP1.

Back to EFCT, each year we’ve attracted more and more community members to join us, and I for one hope it continues to grow. For #EFCT19 we’re considering travelling to another country and inviting some of the Fairphone team to join us, watch out on the forum for further details.


As part of the event, we’ve also had different conversations about what motivates our community be part of a group of Fairphoners, their experience as Fairphone Angels, and hopes for the future, which we’ll be releasing on a weekly basis. Again, a big thank you to everyone who took part on the event here in Amsterdam, and from afar! You can listen to their thoughts here:

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