EU one step closer to universal charger

The EU has been working for years to ensure that as many universal phone chargers as possible are used. Now many gadgets have already given up and USB-C is used, including a company like Apple continues to work with its Lightning cable. Now the EU is one step further in the fight for a universal charger: draft legislation is underway.

Universal charging solution

The most interesting thing about the Council’s position on the universal charger is that it applies not only to smartphones, but to many more gadgets. In addition to telephones, you can think of tablets, digital cameras, Bluetooth speakers, game consoles and headphones. This way you don’t have to buy a new charger every time you buy a new gadget and suppliers may not have to offer it with every gadget. Once you have a few USB-C chargers at home, that’s more than enough.

The plan isn’t just to make things easier for people. It is also the intention to reduce electronic waste: especially if a charger no longer needs to be in the box with a telephone, the box of the smartphone can suddenly become very small. This not only saves material costs, but also transport costs because many more smartphones fit in one truck. It can even save shelf space in physical stores.

Durable

In addition, it also saves having to remove chargers: in other words, processing the charger if it has been thrown away (or hopefully taken to the recycling center). As a consumer, however, it is especially nice that you no longer have to go to all your colleagues with the question whether someone happens to have an iPhone charger, after which a discussion usually follows about what type of charger that exactly is, and so on, and so on.

An icon has been developed to make it clear to consumers whether or not a tech gadget comes with a charger. From this you can determine whether the box of the smartphone or speaker you buy also contains a charger and what specifications it has. These plans have all been approved by the Council’s ambassadors, but the Council must now negotiate with the European Parliament to ensure this can be taken further.

Do you mind if a phone maker doesn’t provide a charger with the phone? Leave it below this article.

Thanks to Ronald for the tip!