"Charger Purchase Costs, Reducing Waste of Waste"
Apple "Measures Hindering Innovation"... Sticking to Its Own Standards
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The European Union (EU) has announced that it will standardize the charging ports of portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs to the 'USB-C' type, applying this to all electronic products starting in 2024. As a result, electronics companies exporting products to Europe will face the situation of having to replace all charging ports. Apple, which has insisted on its own standard charging port, has strongly opposed the measure, claiming it hinders innovation, but it is expected to eventually comply with the EU standard, which is a huge market following the United States.
According to Bloomberg on the 7th (local time), the EU Parliament, the EU's decision-making body, announced that by fall 2024, all portable devices such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, and cameras exported to the EU will have their charging ports unified to USB-C. In a statement, the EU Parliament emphasized, "All electronic devices that can be charged via cable must have USB-C charging ports regardless of the manufacturer, and portable computers must comply with the requirements within 40 months after the regulation takes effect," adding, "This measure will make products produced within the EU more sustainable, reduce electronic waste, and make consumers' lives more convenient."
The main rationale behind the EU Parliament's announcement of this measure was to reduce unnecessary charger purchase costs and the massive generation of electronic waste. According to the EU Parliament, approximately 250 million euros (about 335.6 billion KRW) are spent annually on unnecessary charger purchases within the EU, and the waste generated from discarded or unused chargers is estimated to reach about 11,000 tons per year.
For this agreement to take effect, it must go through the official approval process of EU member states. The EU Parliament also added that products released on the market before the regulation's enforcement will not be subject to the new rules. Following the announcement of the standard charging port for the EU, a large market with a population of over 450 million, electronics companies producing portable devices are expected to replace all charging ports to comply with this standard.
Apple, which is expected to be most affected by this measure, has strongly opposed it. Since the EU Commission first announced the plan to unify charging ports in September last year, Apple has strongly opposed it, calling it a "measure that hinders innovation." Although Apple has applied USB-C charging ports to recently released iPads and laptops, its main product line, the iPhone, still uses its own standard charging port, the 'Lightning Connector.'
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