The European Union’s common charger directive/mandate of the mandatory use of USB-C port is now one step closer after a provisional agreement was reached by the European Parliament and Council negotiators.
This means that from 2024 all small and medium electronics sold in the EU will have to ship with a mandatory USB-C charging port.
Products that will be affected are the following:
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- Cameras
- Headphones
- Portable Speakers
- Handheld video game consoles
- E-readers
- Laptops (will follow 3.3 years after the implementation of the mandate)
“Today we have made the common charger a reality in Europe! European consumers were frustrated long with multiple chargers piling up with every new device. Now they will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics.”
Alex Agius Saliba (MEP)
According to the EU parliament, around EUR 250 million per year is spent on charger purchases so having this directive is set to promote the reduction of discarding unused chargers and help lessen e-waste by making chargers reusable and future-proof.
For reference, the EU reported that according to their research about 11,000 tonnes of e-waste was produced per year by charging cables alone.
All major smartphone manufacturers have already transitioned to the use of USB-C ports leaving Apple iPhones and their Lightning port behind.
However, Apple may avoid going this route by featuring portless charging but it has been recently reported that it is already testing USB-C on its next-gen iPhone.
Started his freelancing adventure in 2018 and began doing freelance Audio Engineering work and then started freelance writing a few years later.
Currently he writes for Gadget Pilipinas and Grit.PH.
He is also a musician, foody, gamer, and PC enthusiast.
