(Strasbourg/04.10.2022) Following the vote in the European Parliament on the introduction of a standardized charging cable, MEP Manuela Ripa from the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) is relieved: "This success proves that environmental protection measures to avoid e-waste and consumer protection can and must be considered together. A standardized charging cable not only helps to reduce e-waste, but also serves to protect consumers. Consumers don't have to deal with a huge number of cables and they also have to spend significantly less on charging cables: a nice win-win situation."

The so-called Common Charger will be introduced as a mandatory USB Type-C connection by October 2024. The European Parliament has been calling for a standardized charging cable for everyday electronics since 2009. The long negotiations with the Council culminated in a compromise with the successful vote in Strasbourg, which, thanks to the Parliament, also includes e-readers, headphones and laptops. In future, it will also be possible to buy devices and cables separately. The ÖDP politician comments: "This agreement should have been reached much earlier. The industry was given 11 years to voluntarily agree on a standardized cable - this did not happen and therefore we had to take legal action now."

The common charging cable is part of initiatives to implement the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Green Deal. The decision to use a common charger will contribute to the reduction of electronic waste: "The common charging cable can save up to 1000 tons of electronic waste every year. This is a good first step towards waste prevention, but many more such steps are needed. ", concluded the MEP.