Against the current apocalyptic backdrop of traumatic conflict, inflationary crises and climactic disasters, one might be forgiven in thinking that sustainable practices and legislative reforms that affect everyday objects like our mobile phones and laptops should take second stage.
Although I can fully understand this sentiment, I strongly believe that as an MEP it is my duty to keep up the pressure on tech giants to increase, not diminish, their efforts to reduce waste and day-to-day expenses for consumers in these trying times.
To this end, I am elated to share the news that after more than a decade, we have finally succeeded and made the common charger a reality in Europe, and hopefully this European initiative will inspire the rest of the world to follow suit.
European consumers have long been frustrated with multiple chargers piling up with every new device they purchase. They were sick and tired of hearing excuses from big companies in several industries shifting the blame off from themselves when asked why their costs keep rising arbitrarily and why they are forced to buy things they don’t need.
Now, European citizens can use a single charger for all their portable electronics, which is an important step that will benefit everyone – be it consumers, businesses and the environment.
This week’s achievement in the European Parliament is no mean feat and is a clear reflection of what consumers have been clamouring for over the course of the past decade, and it was this popular sentiment that inspired us to overcome the many hurdles that stood in our way.
When consumers started urging us to end this cornucopia of chargers, there were around 30 different chargers for mobile phones alone. Since then, we’ve seen a reduction in the number of different chargers being sold.
However, this has not solved the issue since the sheer number of electronic devices being sold in Europe has ballooned in this period. Nowadays, we estimate that 400 million new phones, small electronic devices and chargers are sold in our continent every year and the numbers also show that the lifespan of such devices are getting shorter over time.
What also changed in this decade since the EU’s first attempt at regulating the waste that comes with electrical and electronic equipment is the continuous shifting in consumer patterns which has resulted in consumers owning multiple electronic devices simultaneously.
Consumers also don’t tend to stick to one brand to service all their consumer electronic needs and often mix and match different brands depending on their budget and operating system preferences.
In times of spiralling costs and environmental catastrophes, initiatives that make everyday products cheaper and more ecologically sustainable are initiatives worth pursuing- Alex Agius Saliba
All these factors have made the issue of electronic waste caused by the incompatibility of chargers one of the most pressing environmental challenges of the modern era, with 11,000 tonnes of e-waste being generated every year to dispose of unused or outdated chargers.
The lack of interoperability of chargers isn’t just an environmental issue, it is making us poorer, it jeopardises our safety and it wastes our precious time.
Consumers in the EU spend €2 billion on standalone chargers, and some brands used the pretext of lack of interoperability between chargers to justify ridiculous price tags on the sale of chargers and ‘innovative’ charging devices to consumers who could not go without them.
In some ways, this unfair practice led consumers to choose between counterfeit chargers which might harm the health of their device and their health in general, and chargers sold by these corporations at absurd prices. Consumers weren’t happy and we had to do something about it.
Last Tuesday’s vote in the European Parliament is an important achievement in my career as an MEP and I will look back at this initiative with great pride and satisfaction.
The fact that an overwhelming majority of my colleagues supported my report to the European Parliament (602 votes in favour, 13 against and eight abstentions) speaks volumes about the length and breadth of the consultation, research and consensus-building dialogue we conducted with stakeholders within and outside the EU institutions to get to this point.
By the end of 2024, a whole range of small- and medium-sized portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras and headphones, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. Almost all companies have already been moving to USB-C, except certain multinationals that are earning billions by offering charges that work exclusively with their products.
What we must keep in mind here is that profits should not be the only end-goal, people from all over the world expect the tech industry to consider its social and environmental responsibilities, and that is why a single charging solution that is universally deployable is ultimately a win-win for all.
The new rules will support innovation, will withstand the challenges of the future and the constantly changing technologies, without lock-in effects and creating benefits for all.
To this end, we have made it a point to include provisions to harmonise fast charging and wireless charging technology and to allow for a quick transition to new superior common standards if such new standards come into being.
Consumers will now have detailed information about the characteristics of charging equipment and will have the choice of purchasing new e-devices without a charger if they already own an adequate charger.
This should lead to a substantial reduction in electronic waste and more money in consumers’ pockets, with a quarter of a billion euro saved each year in unnecessary charger purchases.
In times of spiralling costs and environmental catastrophes, initiatives that make everyday products cheaper and more ecologically sustainable are initiatives worth pursuing. That is why I have put my heart and soul into the delivery of this directive, and it is also why I shall be closely following its implementation in various member states, including Malta.
In a world where good news seems to be somewhat scarce, I trust you’ll find some solace in this one.
Alex Agius Saliba is a Labour MEP.