With an aim to reduce waste, European Commission (EC) has proposed a new rule under which all manufacturers will be forced to create a universal charging solution for phones and small electronic devices.
The EC has proposed that all smartphones sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers. The move will mostly affect Apple, which uses a custom charging port, the ‘lightning’ connector. Most Android phones have already moved to USB-C standard.
The changes would apply to the charging port on the device body, whereas the end of the cable connecting to a plug could be USB-C or USB-A.
Once adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, manufactures will be given a transition period of 24 months from the date of adoption to change.
In 2009, there were more than 30 different chargers. That has now come down to three – the USB-C, Lightning and USB micro-B.
A 2019 EC study found out that around half of chargers sold with mobile phones in the European Union in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, while 29% had a USB C connector and 21% a lightning connector.
In 2020, approximately 420 million mobile phones and other portable electronic devices were sold in the EU. On average, consumers own around three mobile phone chargers, of which they use two on a regular basis.
The situation is also costly for consumers, who spend approximately €2.4 billion annually on standalone chargers that do not come with electronic devices. In addition, disposed of and unused chargers are estimated to pile up to 11,000 tonnes of e-waste every year.
Apart from smartphones and tablets, the proposed rules will apply to cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles. Products like earbuds, smart-watches and fitness trackers were not considered because of their size and use conditions.
In a statement, EU tech chief Margrethe Vestager said: “European consumers were frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers. We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now [the] time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger.
“This is an important win for our consumers and environment and in line with our green and digital ambitions,” she added.
Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the Internal Market, said: “Chargers power all our most essential electronic devices. With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary. We are putting an end to that. With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics – an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste.”
In a statement, Apple said: “We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.”
