The USB-C charger is the only one allowed starting tomorrow, Saturday, in a wide range of electronic devices sold in the European Union (EU), at the end of the two-year adaptation period to the European law whose objective is to reduce the electronic waste and simplify the lives of consumers.
Until now, the Member States had December 28 to apply the European directive that requires all mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, e-books, keyboards, mice, video game consoles, speakers and navigation systems to incorporate a single USB-C charger, states EFE.
The laptops They have until April 28, 2026 to comply with the regulations.
The directive also harmonizes the requirements fast charging and offers consumers the option not to receive a new charger with each device purchase.
Manufacturers must update your packaging to clearly display information about charging features and what is included with each purchase.
This regulation makes it possible to mitigate, therefore, the so-called ‘technological blockade’, by which a consumer becomes captive of a specific manufacturer when purchasing one of its devices.
The objective of this law is threefold: ensure comfort of consumers, reduce waste electronic and avoid fragmentation of the charging devices market, according to the text of the directive.
The system that governed until now, in which the USB 2.0 Micro B, USB-C and Lightning (exclusive to Apple) thanks to a voluntary agreement from 2009, still contributed to generating up to 11,000 tons of electronic waste per year, according to estimates by the European Commission.
The regulations aim to address this figure by allowing consumers to purchase new electronic devices without having to purchase an additional charger, which will save citizens up to 250 million euros annually on unnecessary chargers.
This law is part of a broader EU strategy aimed at reducing electronic waste and informing consumers so they can take action. more sustainable decisions, thus promoting a circular economy.
In addition to reducing electronic waste generated by the sale of radio equipment, the regulations aim to reduce the extraction of raw materials and CO2 emissions generated by the production, transportation and disposal of chargers.
“We will closely monitor how manufacturers adapt to these changes and look forward to the (European) Commission’s studies on developments.” of wireless charging and future requirements of disaggregation,” said that Friday the president of the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament, Anna Cavazzini.
For this MEP from the Green group, “it is vital to guarantee that consumers have the tools to continue making smart and sustainable decisions as the market evolves.
The directive, whose implementation is mandatory starting tomorrow, came into force on December 27, 2022, and since then manufacturers have had two years to implement it.
#USBC #universal #charger #officially #allowed
