The European Parliament approved this Tuesday the new law that establishes a single charging solution for mobile phones, tablets and other portable electronic devices, so that USB Type-C will be the common charger in the EU until the end of 2024.
With 602 votes in favor, 13 against and eight abstentions, MEPs gave the green light, in Strasbourg, France, to the interinstitutional agreement reached last June to normalize the use of USB-C in mobile phones, tablets, e-booksdigital cameras, video game consoles and headphones, which will be mandatory two years after the adoption of the legislation for products marketed after that date.
Laptops will not initially be subject to the new standards, but will have to comply no later than three and a half years after the legislation comes into force, i.e. in mid-2028, approx..
The directive (community law), negotiated for almost 10 years in the European Union, further harmonizes fast charging technology, gives consumers clear information about charging characteristics and allows them to choose whether to buy new electronic products with or without a charger. .
These new obligations will lead to the reuse of more chargers and help consumers save up to €250 million a year on the purchase of unnecessary chargers. The European Commission estimates that discarded and unused chargers represent up to 11,000 tonnes of electronic waste per year.
Although some companies have introduced voluntary initiatives that have reduced the number of chargers on offer, these were insufficient to meet the EU’s e-waste reduction targets, prompting the European Commission to present a legislative proposal in September 2021.
EU countries will have two years to transpose the rules into national law, which will not apply to products placed on the market before the legislation comes into force.
Source: Observadora
