Forget digging in the trash. Soon Europeans will have to reach for just one cable to charge their smartphones and other devices.
Representatives of the European Union said they had signed an interim agreement on Tuesday, which would require a single charging cable in the 27-nation bloc. This is part of a wider effort to make products sold in the EU more sustainable and reduce e-waste.
The new rules, which will take effect by the autumn of 2024, mean that EU consumers will only have to use a common USB Type-C cable for small and medium-sized rechargeable, portable electronic devices.
“European consumers have been disappointed by the many chargers accumulated in their homes,” said Alex Agius Saliba, lead negotiator with the European Parliament, at a media briefing in Brussels. “Now they will be able to work with one charger for all portable electronics, which is an important step in increasing user convenience.”
Covered devices include mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, headphones, digital cameras, headphones and earphones, portable video game consoles, keyboards and mice, portable speakers and navigation devices.
Laptops are also covered, but manufacturers will be given extra time to comply.
Apple is a major opponent
The rules only apply to devices sold on the European single market, which consists of 30 countries. However, like the EU’s strict privacy regulations, they could become the de facto standard for the rest of the world.
While many electronics manufacturers began to adopt USB-C sockets in their devices, Apple was one of the main supporters.
Apple, which did not respond to a request for comment, said earlier that it was worried that the rules would limit innovation and harm consumers.
The company’s iPhones come with their own Lightning charging port, although newer models include cables that can be plugged into a USB-C socket.
EU rules also set out standards for fast charging technology and give consumers the right to choose whether to buy new devices with or without a charger, which the EU estimates will save consumers € 250 million ($ 336 million) a year.
Reduction of e-waste
Reducing e-waste is another goal. The EU estimates that discarded or unused chargers account for 11,000 metric tons of e-waste in Europe each year.
Saliba said that according to an impact assessment by the European Commission, the unit’s executive unit, “one in three chargers that come with these products never opens from its original packaging”.
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To keep up with the latest developments, there are also provisions to set standards further for wireless charging, which he says is seen as the next step forward for charging technology.
The EU has spent more than a decade trying to trick the electronics industry into adopting a common charging standard, an effort that reduced the various charging plugs to a handful until the Commission raised the issue with the bill last September.
The European Parliament and the European Council are expected to formally approve the agreement after the summer break.
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