European Commission resumes proposal for universal charger
The idea is to include equipment such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, but also to ensure that other devices could be covered. This type of product generates 51,000 tons of waste per year.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his idea of introducing a common charger to reduce the production of electronic waste has already been defended by the Commission and the European Parliament on several occasions, but it has been opposed by technological companies such as Apple, which have their own equipment.
According to Brussels, this initiative would make it possible to increase sustainable production in the EU and extend the useful life of the equipment.
In particular, the issue of creating a universal charger has been discussed since 2009, when there were around 30 models on the European market and a voluntary agreement was signed between the main mobile phone manufacturers in Europe to harmonize it.
This made it possible to reduce the number of models and, currently, there are three main types of chargers on the European market: USB 2.0 Micro B, USB C and the Lightning system, used exclusively by Apple devices.
However, the agreement between the industry expired in 2014, so the European Parliament has been urging the European Commission to adopt binding rules to develop a single charger, but the initiative has never progressed.
In January 2020, Parliament even adopted a resolution calling on the Commission to introduce a standard charger of this type.
Despite the benefits for users, manufacturers are reluctant to adopt a single model, particularly Apple, whose chargers can only be used with branded devices.
