Forget rummaging through the junk drawer. Soon, Europeans are only to require one cable to charge their smartphones and other devices.
EU officials said they signed a provisional agreement on Tuesday that would require a uniform charging cord in the 27-nation bloc.
It is part of a wider effort to make products sold in the EU more sustainable and reduce electronic waste.
The new rules, which are to take effect by the fall of 2024, mean EU consumers would only need to use a common USB Type-C cable for small and medium-sized rechargeable, portable electronic devices.
“European consumers were frustrated with multiple chargers piling up within their homes,” Alex Agius Saliba, the European Parliament’s lead negotiator, told a news briefing in Brussels. “Now, they will be able to go with a single charger for all portable electronics, which is an important step to increase consumer convenience.”
The devices covered include mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles, keyboards and mice, portable speakers and navigation devices.
Laptops also are covered, but manufacturers would have extra time to comply.
The rules apply only to devices sold in the European single market, which consists of 30 countries. However, as with the EU’s strict privacy regulations, they could end up becoming a de facto standard for the rest of the world.
While many electronics makers have started adopting USB-C sockets, Apple Inc has been one of the main holdouts.
Apple, which did not respond to a request for comment, has previously said it is concerned the rules would limit innovation and hurt consumers.
The company’s iPhones come with their own Lightning charging port, although newer models include cables that can be plugged into a USB-C socket.
The EU rules also outline standards for fast-charging technology and give consumers the right to choose whether to buy new devices with or without a charger, which the EU estimates would save consumers 250 million euros (US$268 million) a year.
Reducing electronic waste is another goal. The EU estimates disposed or unused chargers account for 11,000 tonnes of e-waste in Europe every year.
“One in every three chargers that is bundled with these products is never opened from its original packaging,” according to an impact assessment from the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, Saliba said.
To keep pace with the latest advances, there are also provisions to draw up standards further down the line for wireless charging, which is seen as the next leap forward for charging technology, Saliba said.
The EU spent more than a decade trying to cajole the electronics industry into adopting a common charging standard, an effort that whittled different charging plugs down to a handful until the commission forced the issue with draft legislation in September last year.
The European Parliament and European Council are expected to give formal approval to the agreement after the summer break.
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