Finally, a single charger for all electronic devices?
This time should be the right one.
The European Parliament gave its final green light on Tuesday to the obligation of an identical charger for all smartphones, tablets, headphones, earphones, video game consoles, computers and portable speakers.
This vote marks the final step for the implementation of this highly anticipated system.
These new obligations will make it possible to reuse more chargers and help consumers save up to €250 million a year by not buying unnecessary chargers, according to the European Commission.
Discarded or unused chargers represent approximately 11,000 tons of electronic waste per year.
The text will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU and Member States will have 12 months to transpose the rules into their national legislation.
Its provisions will begin to apply after 24 months for computer equipment chargers and after 40 months for laptop computers.
The new rules will not apply to products placed on the market before the application date.
Apple, which has long resisted, has opted for the USB-C port for some of its devices, including iPads and Macs, but not yet for its iPhones and AirPods.
The American giant risks being forced to comply with European rules in order to be able to continue to market its products in the Union.
