This week, Members of the European Parliament discussed the introduction of a binding rule requiring that chargers fit all mobile phones and portable devices.
The universal charging directive was recommended as a means by which the continent can reduce e-waste. Currently, Europe disposes of around 51,000 tonnes per year in old phone and device chargers. The EU has had a voluntary measure on the books, the Radio Equipment Directive, suggesting universal chargers since 2014, but regulators believe that that the voluntary agreements have not achieved their intended purpose. Apple, which relies on the Lightning connector to charge iPhone devices rather than the industry-standard USB-C, has protested the measure.
"More than one billion Apple devices have shipped using a Lightning connector in addition to an entire ecosystem of accessory and device manufacturers who use Lightning to serve our collective customers," Apple said. "We want to ensure that any new legislation will not result in the shipment of any unnecessary cables or external adapters with every device, or render obsolete the devices and accessories used by many millions of Europeans and hundreds of millions of Apple customers worldwide. This would result in an unprecedented volume of electronic waste and greatly inconvenience users. To be forced to disrupt this huge market of customers will have consequences far beyond the stated aims of the Commission."