Expected for years, the directive will force manufacturers to provide a compatible cable and charging port for all smartphones, laptops, consoles and other tablets.
Open for more than ten years, the debate on the universal charger is approaching its end. According to information from the Reuters agency, the Parliament and the Council of the European Union should agree on the establishment of a universal charger on June 7th.
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The directive plans to force manufacturers of electronic devices to install the same charging port for each smartphone, tablet, console or pair of headphones, but also for all laptops. The measure would, for example, force the giant Apple to use USB C on all its objects, instead of its personal Lightning technology.
Comfort and ecology
The first issue displayed in September 2021 by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton was user comfort. With the single charger, he will not need to walk around with different connectors for each device. It will avoid having to buy different equipment each time. According to a Commission study, European consumers will save up to 250 million euros per year with this measure.
The second objective of Brussels is ecological. The Commission wants to give the consumer the choice between buying a phone with or without its charger. Several telephone manufacturers have already undertaken to do so for environmental reasons, it is now a matter of harmonizing practices. By emptying the boxes, e-waste could be reduced by 980 tonnes and CO emissions2 of 180,000 tons.
If an agreement is validated during the trilogue on June 7, it will then be necessary to wait for the directive to be transposed in each Member State. A period that will give manufacturers time to comply with Europe’s decision.
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