EU Proposes All Devices USB-C Compatible

The European Union has announced plans to mandate all devices be compatible with USB-C chargers, according to a press release from the European Commission. The Radio Equipment Directive aims to improve customer convenience as well as “reduce the environmental footprint associated with the production and disposal of chargers, thereby supporting the green and digital transitions.”

The proposal is expected to have support amongst European Parliament after a vote in 2020 in favor of new rules for chargers. Manufacturers will be given 24 months to transition after the proposal is passed via the legislative procedure. The rule will apply to all devices including phones, tablets, headphones, portable speakers, videogame consoles and cameras.

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, 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 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.”

Reducing E-Waste

According to the press release, working with manufacturers in the past has lowered the number of chargers from 30 to three: lightning, USB-C and Micro-USB. Consumers owns roughly three phone chargers but only use two on a daily basis. Even so, 38% of consumers have experienced not having immediate access to a compatible charger.

The report claims that disposed of and unused chargers add up to an estimated 11,000 tons of e-waste every year.

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.”

The Effect on Apple Devices

Apple is expected to be affected the most by the proposal, which uses a lightning connector for its devices. The company released a statement in response to the new proposal.

“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,” a spokesperson from the company told Reuters.

Apple has made strides in the past to reduce e-waste by no longer shipping charging bricks or earbuds with their new phones. Since consumers can separately purchase bricks and earbuds on their own, it was speculated to be a cost-saving move rather than one for the environment.

Next Steps

The EU plans to further their initiative by making phone chargers completely interoperable both through the device-end as well as the power-source end. The issue will be addressed by Commission’s Ecodesign Regulation later this year.

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