If the path continues quickly, and therefore the approval of the European Parliament and Council will arrive shortly after the summer, the update of the Radio Equipment Directive it will come into effect from autumn 2024. What does this mean? That from that moment there will be a universal charger: all devices like smartphones, tablets, cameras and e-book readers – with the exception of PCs, for which we will start 40 months from approval, therefore not before 2026 – they must have the same port for recharging the batteries. The one of type USB-C.
It is actually the most common door now with the exception of iPhone and some models of iPad produced by Apple – which continue to have a so-called proprietary port Lightning – and of devices and gadgets of old conception which are still offered with the micro-Usb port. These are usually outdated or super-cheap products. In two years this will no longer be possible: all devices must be able to be recharged with the same cable, and therefore a power supply, with USB-C output. So that a single one can be enough for all the accessories at your disposal. Not only that: the informal agreement between the EU institutions has also established aharmonization of the charging speed – in short, there must be a guaranteed minimum speed, therefore a basic wattage that is the same for all chargers.
PCs, as mentioned, will end up being involved in the decision a little later, starting from 2026. Even in that case, with a view to wireless charging as a standard to aim for, the Usb-C port will be needed on all computers marketed in the Union. In this way, according to the EU authorities, we will be able to save 11 thousand tons per year of electronic waste related to battery chargers alone, as well as 250 million euros of unnecessary purchases. A drop in the bucket, if we consider that globally, in 2021 alone, we produced almost 60 million tons of e-waste. And that many countries, including Italy, are well below the 65% threshold established as the minimum for the recycling of electrical and electronic waste. However, an important passage that must also be read in conjunction with the commitment to right to repairability, which appeared in European legislation just last year with the EU regulation 2021/341, dedicated to the eco-sustainable design of products. In short, the road is still long.
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Source: Vanity Fair
