On September 7th Apple will release the highly anticipated iPhone 7. Design changes to the new model are suggested to affect the 3,5mm headphone jack, to be replaced with the proprietary Lightning jack.

The European Union (EU) is revamping plans that could force smartphone makers, such as Apple, to share the same charging method.

European policymakers want to make life easier for consumers as well as to reduce electronic waste across the 28-country region. As a result, they are looking at introducing a single universal charging cable. This would be particularly relevant for Apple given its different charging options.

"We are drowning in an ocean of electronic waste," Roza Thun und Hohenstein, a European lawmaker said at the European Parliament Monday. "We cannot continue this way," she added.

Old chargers generate more than 51 000 metric tons of electronic waste per year, according to the European Parliament. Lawmakers want one single charger that fits phones, tablets, e-books and any other portable device. Apple's Lightning connector cable, which is used to charge and sync different devices, would therefore be at risk.

However, Apple believes that the EU's plan would hurt innovation.

"Regulations that would drive conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones freeze innovation rather than encourage it. Such proposals are bad for the environment and unnecessarily disruptive for customers," Apple said in a feedback form issued to the European institutions last year.