Nearly all political groups in the European Parliament are calling for one type of charger for all brands of smartphones, tablets and e-readers.
As early as 2009, the European Commission came to an agreement with the electronics manufacturers, and put the introduction of a universal charger that would fit on all smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices on the agenda.
However, the Commission decided not to impose any binding laws regarding the subject, but rather to encourage the industry to develop universal chargers themselves.
"Apart from being impractical, all these different types of chargers increase the mass of electronic waste to 51,000 tonnes per year, which is enormous," says MEP Hilde Vautmans, reports VRT.
The only reason that there is no charger that fits all phones yet is "because of all the lobbying of big companies - to not name Apple," said MEP Petra De Sutter, reports Het Nieuwsblad. "Apple has tried to keep its own system on the market," she added.
Nearly all political groups in the European Parliament are now calling to make a universal charger obligatory, and will vote on a resolution to stress this in February.
"The voluntary approach did not meet our expectations," the European Commission said. "We will now have to consider a legislative approach," it added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
