as I read in your latest blog post, you are looking for potential partners. So it may be a good idea to collect and discuss some ideas, isn’t it?
We will announce these as we confirm partnerships, and we’re happy to hear your own suggestions for ethical partners or resellers in your area.
For Germany I’d recommend (as I might have on other occasions - sorry about that) the online store Fairmondo as a partner / retailer.
They are owned by their users (cooperative) and also offer a CO2 delivery by bike (with fair tariffs) for the guys working in the logistics.
I’d love to hear what other ideas for fair partners the community has
I think if you try to reach many people you hafe to leave the internet and must sell the Product via Stores. Because of the “ethical” aspect most phone shops wouldn’t be an option.
But Germany (and I think many other countrys, too) has a strong infrastructure of Markets selling Biological and often Fair Trade Food and Cosmetics. In my City for excample the SuperBioMarkt is quite popular. Maybe you can find a union of this markets and get a chance that there will offer the new Fairphone. I think this has to be a mail order option but it is a way to place the product.
But I’m not sure if Fairephone want to reach to many people. The philosophy was always “grow slow” and I think this will be a good idea for the future, too. So maybe Fairphone should simply do everything exactly the way they still do ;).
I would recommend the [Weltläden][1] in Austria. They have 90 stores all over the country and sell mostly Fair Trade products. It would be great to have them sell the Fairphone 2.
I am adding @anon90052001 to this conversation, so the Fairphone Team gets informed about the tips we got for them.
Edit:
Sorry, it’s three sentences…
It would be a win-win-win-situation:
The people working there are very experienced with the conditions in developing countries and can give useful information to the costumers.
It would drag even more people to the Weltladen stores and raise awareness for fairly produced goods in general.
Fairphone would have a face2face outlet for their phones and accessories / spare parts in Austria.
[1]: http://www.weltlaeden.at/
Another possible Partner (for Germany again) could be the TransFair association. They promote fairtrade with the third world and I thing they will have contacts to many posible partners.
In Belgium, Bioplanet is an organic (and mostly fair trade) supermarket. It’s part of the Coluyt group, who try to put a lot of attention on sustainable development (and used to have a mobile network too). Maybe they could be interested too?
Most of my purchasing is done online because in the UK the high street usually doesn’t offer that many ‘ethical’ options. There are some but mainly independent stores.
You could potentially ask the Phone Co-op to use their partnership with the Co-operative stores network to offer the Fairphone in their stores. They could also look to use their relationship with the Midcounties Co-operative to try and cross-sell, as they also operate the Co-operative Energy which their customers may be interested in the Fairphone. (I think @anon90052001 might have a better understanding of all this following the Phone Co-op AGM this weekend!). The main Co-operative Group operate the Co-operative Electrical store, and if the Phone Co-op could encourage either cross-selling opportunities or even just the outright purchase of phones through here, that would be a benefit to all 3 businesses. The Phone Co-op also do business with the Green Party and are promoting the Fairphone here too, but more could be done I think from the Green Party side. As it happens, I’m a member of all these co-operative and groups!
Some other webstores that I use that offer ethical consumer products including limited electronics:
I’d really like to see the Fairphone (2) on Wegreen.de. It’s not exactly a reseller but rather a database of products from different online stores with a rating system compiled from various sources
Hi!
I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina and I’m creating with a friend a social enterprise : an online (and maybe someday physical too) store of ethical products only. And we’d love and be proud to sell Fairphone!
Please write me to maum@mauromiceli.com whenever you are ready to export to Argentina.
Thanks!
Mauro
www.maum.soy
I’m adding @anon70572005, to make sure, the FP team knows about your enterprise and will consider selling the FP there. I think it would be a nice way to start FP sales in South America.
As for the Netherlands I would suggest that you contact independent phone sellers (like The Phone House, is it still independent?). With the first run you did only business with KPN. This might have been necessary for you to start up sales, but it in not very costumer friendly, because consumers are obliged to us the KPN network.
All fair trade worldshops from Artisans du Monde. They have a network of shops in the entire country, which are managed by local associations and activists. They sell fair trade products already, both foodstuffs and handicrafts, and some of them partner with local initiatives to offer other products, e.g. locally grown agricultural products. http://www.artisansdumonde.org/
The small network of Altermundi shops. They sell ethical and fair trade products in Paris and might be opening a couple more in France in the next few years. http://www.altermundi.com/
Hi there for Belgium there is the option of OXFAM fairtrade shops maybe? They are everywhere in the country and they are since many years supporting fairtrade. Also there is het Natuurhuis a family owned supermarket that sells organic and biological food and also has a lot of sustainable products for sale.
Lastly there is a small but clean store in Antwerp, Today is a good day selling fair and ecological clothes and accesories. Even if it’s a small and local store their target group has the money and the willingness to pay for a fair phone.
