Bas van Abel

Bas van Abel, founder of Fairphone, is passionate about changing the relationship between people and products. He believes that by opening up the design processes behind everyday things, people can re-engage and become active owners of their belongings. This is the model that drives the social enterprise Fairphone that is making the world’s first smartphone that puts people and the environment first, every step of the way.

By redesigning the product and the processes behind production, Fairphone wants to create systemic change and move toward a fairer economy. As an active member of the international maker and digital fabrication community, Bas has developed a wide variety of projects based on open design principles. As head of Waag Society's Open Design Lab he has initiated such projects as the community fabrication laboratory Fablab Amsterdam and open-source restaurant Instructables Restaurant.

With a background in interaction design and a personal interest in electronics, Bas has worked on many projects both as a designer and technical engineer. He is the co-editor of the book Open Design Now, which seeks to transform design into an open and shared discipline that creates a diversity of innovative products through a collaborative and world-spanning process.