Anybody who has forgotten his charger at home can instantly recollect how frustrating it was to ask around for a charger from friends and colleagues only to realize they have a different type of phone. Same goes for a family where the husband and wife have a Samsung and iPhone each and are unable to share a power cable.

An European Union proposal could fix this problem by insisting phones sold in the EU confirm to a common standard. This common-sense move could also end up saving thousands of tons of electronic waste. According to the EU press release:

A common charger should be developed for all mobile phones sold in the EU, to reduce waste, costs and hassle for users, said MEPs voting on an update to EU radio equipment laws on Thursday. This draft has already been informally agreed with the Council of Ministers. “The modernised Radio Equipment Directive is an efficient tool to prevent interference between different radio equipment devices. I am especially pleased that we agreed on the introduction of a common charger. This serves the interests both of consumers and the environment. It will put an end to charger clutter and 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually”, said rapporteur Barbara Weiler (S&D, DE). The draft directive lays down harmonised rules for placing radio equipment, including cellular telephones, car-door openers and modems, on the market. The rules aim to keep pace with the growing number and variety of radio equipment devices and ensure that they do not interfere with each other while respecting essential health and safety requirements

According to NYT, “This is not the first time the European Union has tackled this topic. This week’s effort was the third attempt to untangle charging devices in more than a decade. In 2009, when there were more than 30 different chargers on the market, the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, reached a voluntary agreement with industry giants like Apple, Samsung and Nokia to introduce a smartphone charger that fit all models. But the agreement expired in 2014, and the device makers went their separate ways.”

The European Consumer Organization that is backing the standardizing effort highlights there are now major types of charging plugs: USB 2.0 Micro B, USB-C and Apple’s Lightning.

If this move succeeds, the companies are likely to push the standardization in rest of their global markets. Consumers around the world are sure to rejoice.

Also refer: