Twenty-seven MEPs agreed on Tuesday (June 7th) that the single shipper should now be the rule in the European Union (EU). As of 2024, smartphones, tablets, consoles and other digital cameras, sold in the EU, will all be equipped with the same USB-C port, regardless of manufacturer. Laptops will be subject to the same requirement by 2026. The text also paves the way for a future standardization of wireless charging technologies, which is currently booming. And it provides that consumers will be able to buy a new device with or without a charger.
11,000 tons of waste per year
This regulation, which will be formally approved after the summer by the European Parliament and the Member States, could save European consumers at least € 250 million a year out of the € 2.4 billion they spend. to purchases of chargers alone. Unused loader waste, estimated at 11,000 tonnes per year, could be reduced by almost 1,000 tonnes.
Apple, which has fought hard against the legislation, said in a statement on Tuesday that it “Will impose significant losses on manufacturers, reduce consumer choice and generate e-waste” additional. “Let’s be clear: if Apple wants to market its products [en Europe]we will have to follow our rules (…). We need to think about the environment. ”replied Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton.