Democratic senators urged the US to follow the European Union’s (EU) lead and demand that smartphone makers, including Apple, adopt a common charging cable. (opens in new tab)
Starting in 2024, all cell phones, tablets, e-readers, headsets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld game consoles and portable speakers will have to include a USB Type-C port – a move that the EU says it will save consumers €250 million a year and avoid 11,000 tonnes of e-waste.
The news went unnoticed across the Atlantic and, in a letter to US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, with the support of independent Bernie Sanders, argued that similar legislation in the US would benefit consumers and help the environment. .
Finally, a Brexit dividend?
“This policy has the potential to significantly reduce e-waste and help consumers who are tired of digging through drawers full of tangled chargers to find a compatible one or buy a new one,” the letter reads. “The EU has acted wisely in the public interest in confronting powerful tech companies on this environmental and consumer issue. The United States should do the same.
“We cannot allow the consumer electronics industry to prioritize proprietary and inevitably obsolete charging technology over consumer protection and environmental health.”
Any move in the US would likely face opposition from Apple, which is the most notable manufacturer currently not using USB-C, preferring its own proprietary Lightning connector for the iPhone.
He will be disproportionately affected by the new EU rules and has persistently opposed any mandate, arguing that it will undermine innovation and lead to massive amounts of waste as consumers discard their old Lightning chargers.
The UK, perhaps eager to emphasize that the UK is free of the supposed ‘bureaucracy’ of Brussels in a post-Brexit world, said it was not “currently considering” (opens in new tab) Following suit. Despite this stance, British consumers are likely to be affected by EU rules.
Through BBC (opens in new tab)
