The European Union (EU) has put forth legislation that could mandate all smartphone manufacturers and electronics makers to equip devices with a standard USB-C charging port.
On Thursday, Sept. 23, the European Commission proposed the new legislation to make all devices USB-C fast-charging compatible as "the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles," Fortune reported.
"With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics — an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste," Thierry Breton, the internal market commissioner, said as reported by Fortune.
The European Commission hopes to accomplish cutting waste while making life easier for consumers by only needing one charger for every personal electronic device, CNBC reported.
“European consumers were frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers," the EU's digital (and antitrust) chief Margrethe Vestager, said, as reported by Fortune. "We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger. This is an important win for our consumers and environment and in line with our green and digital ambitions."
If passed, the legislation would impact Apple greatly since the company has developed its own lightning connector chargers for iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, only recently having equipped some iPads and MacBooks with USB-C charging ports, CNBC reported.
“We share the European Commission’s commitment to protecting the environment and are already carbon neutral for all of our corporate emissions worldwide,” a spokesperson for Apple said, CNBC reported.
This is not the EU's first time working to standardize device chargers. About a dozen years ago, there were around 30 charger types for each different phone manufacturer until the Commission was able to get Nokia, Samsung, Apple and others to "provide [charger] compatibility on the basis of the micro-USB connector" for the development of USB-C, Fortune reported. Apple was able to find a loophole by providing an adapter to micro-USB at extra cost.
The newest proposal by the Commission would work to cut electronic waste by unbundling the sale of chargers with devices themselves, helping to fix some of the problems from its previous attempts at making manufacturers develop a universal charging port for all devices, Fortune reported.
If the legislation is passed, it would not take effect until 2024.