Apple Insists EU Push for Universal Charger Would Repress Innovation, Create Waste -- Update
September 24 2021 - 2:01AM
Dow Jones News
Updates with Apple comment
By Mauro Orru and Joshua Kirby
Apple Inc. hit back at European Union moves to introduce a
universal charger for smartphones, tablets and other electronic
devices, saying such legislation would be anti-innovation and would
serve to increase waste.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said Thursday
that it is proposing USB-C as the standard port for smartphones,
tablets, headphones, portable speakers, cameras, and some videogame
consoles, regardless of the device brand. The move aims to cut
waste related to the production and disposal of chargers.
It is also proposing to unbundle the sale of chargers from the
sale of electronic devices to limit the number of unwanted chargers
for consumers. This will reduce the amount of electronic waste by
nearly a thousand metric tons a year, the commission said.
But U.S. electronic-goods giant Apple said late Thursday that
legislation would disrupt the existing system, stifle innovation,
inconvenience users and create more waste if existing chargers
weren't allowed to be sold.
"Some of the most innovative thinking at Apple goes toward
building products with recycled and renewable materials," the
company said. "We share the EC's commitment to protecting the
environment and are already carbon-neutral for all of our corporate
emissions worldwide, and by 2030 every single Apple device and its
usage will be carbon neutral."
Apple added that a proposed transition period of only two years
would be a major concern for the industry. The company said it is
working with the commission to better understand the details of the
proposal, and would work to find a solution that protects both
consumer interest and industry innovation.
The push for a universal charger in the EU's 27 member states
isn't new. The commission has supported a common charging solution
for mobile phones and other electronic devices since 2009, and has
worked with the industry to bring down the number of charger types
to three from 30.
Different leads and chargers have long plagued the industry and
made life difficult for consumers, who had to chuck out perfectly
good chargers when upgrading phones or changing brands, generating
more electronic waste.
"European consumers were frustrated long enough about
incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers. We gave industry
plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is
ripe for legislative action for a common charger," said Margrethe
Vestager, the bloc's digital-policy and antitrust czar.
The commission said that about 420 million mobile phones and
other portable electronic devices were sold in the bloc last year,
with the average consumer owning around three mobile-phone
chargers. It estimates that unused chargers or disposed ones
generate up to 11,000 tons of electronic waste every year.
Thursday's proposal will now need to be adopted by the European
Parliament and the European Council. When and if the proposal is
adopted, a two-year transition period from the date of adoption
will kick in to give industry time to adapt.
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com, and to Joshua Kirby
at joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 24, 2021 01:46 ET (05:46 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024