Newsflash! The time has come for universal chargers to hit it on!
Following the provisional political agreement reached in June 2022 between the EU institutions, on October 4, 2022, the European Parliament passed a new law on universal chargers to ease reducing e-waste and enable more sustainable choices for consumers.
What does this actually refer to? Namely, all small and medium-sized mobile electronic devices will need to be equipped with a USB Type C port. Thus, consumers will no longer have to use different chargers to charge their devices from different manufacturers. The agreement will be applied to mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, e-readers, keyboards, portable navigation systems, and earbuds from 2024, while the deadline will be extended until 2026 for laptops.
The adopted measures can save consumers up to 250 million euros annually, as well as lead to a reduction in the amount of electronic waste.
This decision will affect Apple the most since most devices from this manufacturer use the Apple standard or USB Micro-B port. On the other hand, Android devices mostly use a USB-C port.
In the coming period, the Council will adopt a new Directive to be transposed by the EU Member States in 12 subsequent months, with an additional 12-month period for application.
