The hours spent combing the office to find a mobile phone charger to fit your handset will soon be over, after much of the European Union's telecoms industry committed yesterday to producing a common charger. In addition to reducing consumer frustration, the move by 10 of the main manufacturers should also cut down on waste when old chargers are thrown away.
The European Commission estimates that old chargers create "several thousand tons" of waste annually. Manufacturers supporting the move include Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Texas Instruments. The move could also cut long-run costs for consumers because they will be able to buy new phones without chargers, as well as more cost-effective standalone chargers. Günter Verheugen, EU industry commissioner, said the manufacturers agreed to harmonise chargers in the EU in a memorandum of understanding submitted to the European Commission.
