Last week, the European Parliament made it mandatory that all small and medium-sized consumer electronic devices be equipped with a USB-C charging port. Now an open letter from two US senators to the Secretary of Commerce urges a similar policy in the US.
The letter, written by Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, expresses the need to adopt the standardized charging port, citing the environmental damage due to electronic waste, the economic hassle for consumers and the planned obsolescence of consumer electronics. .
the European Union (EU) has just passed major legislation requiring electronics manufacturers to adopt a common charger for mobile devices across the EU.1 We congratulate the Department of Commerce on the steps already taken to address these issues, 2 and we invite you to follow the EU’s example by developing a comprehensive strategy to address unnecessary costs to consumers, mitigate e-waste and restore sanity and certainty in the process of purchasing new electronic devices.
The letter explains that having to pay for specialized refills can be a ‘financial burden’ and that innovation should benefit consumers and “should not come at their expense, load them with incompatible accessories and force them to purchase different charging equipment for each device they own. . “
EU law will come into effect in the fall of 2024 and will require all small and medium-sized electronic devices to use the USB-C charging port. This includes all smartphones, tablets, portable speakers, e-readers, portable game consoles, cameras and headphones. Laptops will also fall under this new law, but will not go into effect until 40 months after the Small Electronic Devices Act goes into effect.
The letter concludes: “We urge you to coordinate with the offices and agencies of the Department of Commerce to develop a comprehensive plan that protects both consumers and the environment by addressing the lack of a common pricing standard in the United States.”
Apple is clearly the company most affected by this policy change. The company has reportedly already tested a USB-C charging port for a future iPhone, though it’s unclear whether it will come with 2023 iPhones or 2024 iPhones.
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