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A common charger: better for consumers and the environment | News | European Parliament
(www.europarl.europa.eu)
I applaud the concern for the environment, and the attempt to try to reduce needless e-waste. However, I think there's some muddled thinking here.
First of all: the issue is about charging a device. For that, what is required is a charger.
Secondly: Obviously USB-C and lightening cables provide a charging function, but also provide a way to exchange data, which is beyond the purview of the consumer waste problem.
So - why doesn't the EU simply mandate that:
- Phones and chargers should be sold separately, and that
- Any chargers sold in the EU must have a design^1^ such that the cable connection can be easily detached?
This would ensure that only chargers that were needed were purchased, and that the consumer could change cables as they wore out, or as they changed protocol.
^1^ Obviously, they'd need to set some standards around what a charger ought to be. (And perhaps look to the work that was done several years ago, regarding safety, with the Asmo charger proposal.)