In less than two years, USB-C will become the standard charger among all EU countries. The single charger deal aims to reduce e-waste and could save almost €250 million for consumers each year, the European Commission estimates.
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The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to introduce a single charger for electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and cameras, but also e-readers, headphones, game consoles and health trackers. Under the new reform, which received overwhelming support from EU lawmakers with 602 votes in favor and just 13 against, manufacturers will have until 2024 to switch to the USB-C charging port.
The single charger proposal was put forward in September 2021 by the European Commission as part of the Green Deal, a series of new policies to meet the EU’s climate change targets of reducing emissions by 55% from levels of 1990 by 2030, as well as a long-term goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
The new agreement marks a concrete step towards the reduction of electrical waste or electronic waste. In the EU, less than 40% of all e-waste is recycled, while the rest is not sorted. The figures vary significantly from country to country. In Croatia, for example, almost 81% of all used electrical and electronic devices were recycled in 2017. In Malta, the figure stopped at 21%.
E-waste recycling rate in the EU (2020). Source: European Parliament
Supporters of the idea argue that having a single charger would significantly reduce the number of cables produced and sold and could save consumers about 250 million euros (about 248 million US dollars).
Under the new policy, chargers and electronics will be sold separately. Users will be able to choose whether to buy a new charger with their new devices, and if these are compatible with their existing devices, it will reduce costs and the number of rejected products. According to statistics obtained by the EU, one in three chargers sold in a package with electronic devices ends up unused.
Companies such as Apple have used reasons not to be very supportive of the policy, arguing that it hinders innovation rather than encourages it, and that it would harm users not just in Europe but around the world. Apple, the world’s most valuable brand and leading technology company, is expected to be among the most affected by the single charger rule, as the brand relies on a different charging port for its devices than most its competitors, including Android.
While this is certainly a good step in the right direction, chargers still account for around 54,000 tonnes of e-waste, equivalent to roughly 0.1% of the 57.4 million tonnes of e-waste generated annually. To solve the e-waste crisis, many argue, more drastic measures are needed.
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