The European Parliament approved last week to establish a single type of universal charger for all electronic devices sold in the European Union. As agreed by the European Parliament, by autumn 2024 all frequently used small and medium-sized electronic devices must use a USB Type-C charger.
The USB Type-C charger will come into force in the fall of 2024
This will mean that, from that moment on, both mobile phones, tablets, eBooks, headphones and cameras, among other devices, will have to use the same type of USB Type-C charger and it will be interchangeable with each other.
They will not be the only devices affected by the measure. From that date, the computers will have a period of 40 months to also be adapted to the new legislation and incorporate the universal European model as a single charger.
According to the data provided by the European Parliament, this will mean that millions of chargers will have to be discarded across the continent, which will no longer be useful in the fall of 2024, when the universal USB Type-C charging port begins to be used. It is estimated that there will be about 11,000 tons of electronic waste per year what is generated when all the chargers that use another charging port are left without utility.
However, standardizing chargers in Europe will also mean that changes can occur in the technology market worldwide that generate even more waste, perhaps by adopting the same standard in other countries, to make it easier for manufacturers to make their products.
From ANOVO, a company specialized in technological after-sales services, they point out another improvement that will have the decision adopted by the European Parliament. As they acknowledge, the impact that the initiative will have for the final consumer will mean savings of up to 250 million euros in the purchase of unnecessary chargers, since users will be able to use the same one for all their electronic devices.
