Fairphone & Tosca: flexible partnership for impact

Fairphone

When Fairphone selected TOSCA as the partner on the CSRD reporting journey, we were delighted! With changing EU regulations, the project changed along the way, but the flexible partnership held strong! Here are some highlights of that partnership for impact! 
 
Investing in partnership 
Fairphone did not want an agency to take the CSRD journey off their hands. Instead, they were looking for a partner to learn by doing; both creating in-house capacity for the future and saving on out-of-pocket expenses. To enable this type of collaboration, we invested in getting to know each other. We created a shared timeline, with clear milestones, roles and responsibilities. Regular meetings with a core team helped to keep an eye on the timelines and roles along the way and adjust as necessary.  
“I greatly enjoyed working with TOSCA and hope that we will collaborate again in the future.” Gersom Aliaga Ferrofino, Impact Reporting & Funding Manager 
 
Building on what’s already there 
As with any client, we built on what was already there. Especially important for an impact company like Fairphone, to ensure the strong focus on impact and change would not get lost in the nitty gritty details of ESRS compliance. A series of extensive deep dives helped us better understand Fairphone, the project team and the reporting practices already in place.  
And with a long-standing impact reporting track record, we continuously found ways to keep Fairphone’s story and impact at the forefront, rather than solely focusing on compliance.  
 
Sharing tools and infrastructure  
As Fairphone wanted to do all the work themselves, we tailored the TOSCA CSRD tools for use by a client team.  During the mid-term evaluation, the usefulness of the tools was the first thing Fairphone brought up. Real-time collaboration was also facilitated by working in a shared drive. That way, we could keep track of progress and offer immediate support to the wider Fairphone team working with our CSRD tools.  
The combination of regular working sessions and practical tools proved to be a very efficient and pragmatic way of working, leveraging both TOSCA’s and Fairphone’s expertise.  
 
Offering flexibility for impact 
Flexibility was a recurring theme in the partnership. Clearly specified in the initial briefing, and delivered along the way, for example when we needed to switch from CSRD to VSME halfway through the project.  
“I greatly appreciated TOSCA’s flexibility; on the goals, the approach, and the budget when the regulatory landscape changed.” Angela Jorns, Head of Impact Innovation 
 
Fairphone is such an inspiring client! We enjoyed working with this super diverse team, all dedicated to impact! The only thing we regret? Buying a Fairphone too soon, as the new Fairphone is not just modular, lasting and fairer than ever, but also it offers even higher performance and tools to reduce digital distraction.