In an effort to make the tech industry more environmentally conscious and make life less complicated for consumers, the EU on Thursday officially announced its new universal charger rules. As a result, the rules will go into effect before the end of the year. That means by the end of 2024, all mobile devices sold in the EU there will be a USB Type-C charging port – including Apple devices.
As a general rule about chargers, all small and mid-sized devices such as cell phones, tablets, speakers and cameras will require the same charger, making it easy to find the right cable and reduce the number of chargers you need to buy and carry. Starting in spring 2026, this requirement will also apply to laptops.
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The EU called for a common law on chargers to start about 10 years ago as part of the EU’s efforts to reduce e-waste and implement more sustainable practices. The long-awaited general charging law is first approved in October but was officially published in the Official EU Journal this week, putting it into practice.
“We’ve been waiting over ten years for these rules, but we might end up dropping countless current chargers into the past,” Parliamentary Rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba said:.
“This future-proof law enables the development of innovative charging solutions in the future, and it will benefit everyone – from frustrated consumers to our vulnerable environment. .”
Many manufacturers like Samsung and Google have switched to producing devices with USB-C charging port. However, manufacturers that don’t yet have a Lightning port – like Apple, which has a proprietary Lightning port – will be forced to meet the new requirements as the law will apply to all manufacturers without exception.
Apple’s vice president of marketing, Greg Joswiak, told the Wall Street Journal that the company would comply even though “we [Apple] think this approach would be better for the environment and better for our customers without an over-regulated government.”
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Implementing this policy is estimated to save consumers €250 million per year ($263 million). It will also help reduce 11,000 tons of chargers e-waste found in the EU for a year.
