Starting Dec. 28, single charging port for cell phones (and other small devices)

Brussels – No more of the thousand different wires for charging our small electronic devices. As of December 28 of this year, all small and medium-sized devices, such as portable phones, headphone chargers, and tablets, sold in the European Union will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port (the one that has been emerging as a standard for some time now, even in anticipation of this obligation) for charging, as stipulated by the European directive of November 23, 2022.

The goal of this measure is to reduce the environmental impact of these products by promoting their multiple use.

The European Commission has estimated that unused and discarded chargers produce 11,000 tons of electronic waste each year in Europe. The devices affected include a wide range of products, such as cameras, headsets, game consoles, speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice and portable navigation systems.

Mobile computers will have to comply with these standards by April 26, 2026.

The initiative is part of the European Union’s “Digital and Environment” strategy, which aims to “reduce the ecological footprint of electronic equipment and promote the circular economy.”