In its latest report, Fairphone has warned that the global technology sector is overlooking a major environmental threat as it focuses mainly on cutting carbon emissions. Fairphone says biodiversity loss linked to smartphone production is largely hidden in global supply chains. The report highlights how mining and manufacturing activities tied to consumer electronics are placing growing pressure on ecosystems across several resource-rich regions.
New Fairphone study reveals biodiversity loss hidden in smartphone mining and manufacturing
In its nature report, Fairphone has examined the full lifecycle of a smartphone and concluded that most environmental damage occurs long before a device reaches consumers. As per the study, around 75% of the total impact takes place during mineral extraction and manufacturing. The early supply chain stages involve intensive mining, large energy use, and industrial processing, which can pollute water systems and degrade the soil in the surrounding area.
The tech giant says such pressures contribute directly to biodiversity loss by disrupting habitats, affecting wildlife populations, and weakening ecosystems that local economies and livelihoods depend on daily. In its report, the firm has also mapped areas where the extraction of key minerals overlaps with fragile ecosystems. Using expanded supply chain analysis, Fairphone identified 11 global mining hotspots connected to materials widely used in tech devices. These include locations in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Peru, China, and Guinea, where minerals such as gold, tin, cobalt, nickel, and copper are produced.
Researchers say the concentration of mining activity in these regions increases environmental stress through pollution, landscape disruption, and water consumption. This accelerates biodiversity loss and threatens species and habitats.
Fairphone says the industry is using the wrong parameters to assess biodiversity damage
Further, Fairphone says that the worldwide tech companies are using old parameters when measuring risk. Much of the publicly available data used by companies is between ten and twenty years old. This limits its value for modern supply chains. Moreover, the firm says this gap makes it difficult for businesses to understand where biodiversity loss is occurring or how production decisions may intensify ecological decline.
Last but not least, Fairphone has urged companies to treat biodiversity loss as a core business risk rather than a secondary sustainability issue. It has also revealed its plans to work with suppliers and partners to identify prevention, mitigation, and remediation efforts in high-risk sourcing regions.
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