Under the new rules proposed by the European Commission (EC), phone manufacturers will be forced to create a universal charging solution for phones and small electronic devices, the BBC reports.
All smartphones sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers, says the EC proposal. The aim of such an incentive is to reduce waste by encouraging consumers to reuse existing chargers when purchasing new devices.
Technology giant Apple is a major smartphone maker that uses a custom charging port because its iPhone series uses an Apple-made Lightning connector. Apple has warned that such a move would be detrimental to innovation.
“We are concerned that strict regulation, which limits only one type of charger, hinders rather than encourages innovation. This, in turn, will harm consumers in Europe and around the world, “the company told the BBC.
Apple added that its goal is to make every Apple device and its use carbon-neutral by 2030. While Apple has made a strong argument for the Lightning connector charger, given the billion active iPhone users, some of its products, including the Mac and iPad, now support USB-C.
Most Android phones have USB micro-B charging ports or have already been upgraded to the more advanced USB-C standard.
The new iPad and MacBook models, as well as high-end phone models from popular Android manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei, use USB-C charging ports.
About half of the chargers sold with mobile phones in the EU in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, while 29% had a USB C connector and 21% had a Lightning connector, according to an EC 2019 impact assessment study.
The proposed rules will cover:
- smartphones
- tablets
- cameras
- headphones
- portable speakers
- individual video game consoles
Other products, including headphones, smartwatches and fitness trackers, were not included in the EC proposal for technical reasons related to their size and conditions of use.-
The proposal also standardises the fast charging speed.
EU politicians have been fighting for a single standard for more than a decade, and EC studies have found that discarded and unused charging cables generate more than 11,000 tonnes of waste a year.
Around 420 million mobile phones and other portable electronic devices were sold in the EU last year. On average, a person owns about three cell phone chargers, two of which he uses regularly.
The legislative proposal, known as the directive, will be discussed by the European Parliament and national governments. Members and Member States may propose amendments to the proposal. Only after the consent to these amendments has been given will the directive be implemented. The EC hopes that this will happen in 2022, after which Member States will usually have two years to implement the rules in national law, and manufacturers will have 24 months to change the charging ports.
– .
