EU lawmakers vote for a rule to establish a common charger for all mobile devices on Thursday.
The European Parliament voted by 582-40 for a resolution urging the European Commission to draft a law to ensure EU consumers are no longer obliged to opt for new charges with each new device.
The resolution states that the Commission should adopt the new rules by July.
It furthermore presented data that showed in the year 2016, electronic waste was a total of 12.3 million tonnes, 16.6 kilograms per EU inhabitant. The European Commission, which acts as the executive for the EU, with the resolution hopes to mitigate waste.
The legislation would mostly affect Apple’s proprietary Lightning Cable. Apple said that the industry was already moving to USB-C and that regulation to force conformity would stifle innovation, harming European consumers. An abrupt switch would itself result in a mountain of e-waste, it said.
However, Commission officials say after the trial and error of the voluntary approach, the EU executive is looking into the legislation and has included the common charger as a plan for this year.
