The chances are that you’re reading this article on your smartphone - because that is the way most digital content is consumed nowadays.  It’s amazing to think how these devices connect us to each other and the entire world. But we’re not just talking about using your smartphone.

The way your smartphone is made also connects you to the world, and your choice of mobile device belongs to those choices which determine how sustainably you live and what your carbon footprint is.

Did you know, for example, that there are at least 30 different minerals in every smartphone? What’s more, those minerals often come from conflict zones.

A Dutch social enterprise has produced what has been heralded as the world’s first ethically sourced smartphone. Fairphone sources conflict-free tin and tantalum from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and works closely with its manufacturers to improve working conditions in its factories.

Fairphone also focuses on durability, reparability and the availability of spare parts that can be easily replaced to extend the smartphone's usable life. Building a phone that lasts longer reduces the overall toll on people and the climate.

To learn more, we spoke to Bibi Bleekemolen, who is part of Fairphone’s Value Chain team.

Listen to the interview below, and subscribe to the Momentum for Change podcast. To stay connected with Momentum for Change, subscribe to the e-newsletter.