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On Tuesday the European Parliament approved a new law that will standardize the charging technology of smartphones and other electronic devices on the market in the countries of the European Union: starting from autumn 2024 all chargers will have to have cables with connectors for USB-C ports , those currently used by Android devices.
After the agreement found in June, today the bill by MEP Alex Agius Saliba, of the center-left group of Socialists and Democrats, was approved with a very large majority vote: 602 in favor, 13 against and eight abstentions.
The new rules will affect chargers for smartphones, tablets, cameras, e-readers, headphones, satellite devices, video game consoles and portable speakers from 2024. From 2026, however, the measure will also involve laptops. Apple will also be forced to adapt, which on its iPhones today uses a different port, called “Lightning”.
The new single standard according to the European Commission will lead to a reduction of electronic waste of about 12 thousand tons per year. This is a small part of the total electronic waste produced in Europe: in 2019 it was 4.5 million tons. The Commission has also estimated annual savings of 250 million for consumers. A study commissioned in 2019 indicated that about half of phone chargers sold in the previous year used a USB-B port, 29 percent USB-C, and 21 percent “Lightning” technology.
The governments of the European Union are expected to definitively approve the law during the meeting of the environment ministers on 24 October. Then the various European countries will have six months to transpose the European law into their own systems.
