Why in News?

• The Government of India is pushing for the adoption of a common charger for all devices.
• Recently, the European Union announced the adoption of a USB-C port common charging standard for small electronic devices by 2024. A similar demand is in the US as well.
• The government has called a meeting of the concerned stakeholders in the industry to discuss the matter of different chargers for electronic devices.

About USB-C

• USB stands for “Universal Serial Bus”, an industry standard for short-distance digital data communications.
• USB-C is the latest version of this standard and is symmetrical so that it can be inserted either way.
• The USB-C is a single cable that can transmit data, audio, video and power.

Need for Common Charger

• The Prime Minister of India had given the concept of “LiFE- Lifestyle for the Environment” at the UN Climate Change Conference (CoP 26) held in Glasgow in November last year.
• India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets mandates to reduce the emission intensity of the GDP by 45% by 2030.
• In view of the country’s commitment to fight climate change, the necessary step has to be taken with regards to reducing electronic waste.
• Due to the incompatibility of charging ports between old and new devices, consumers are forced to buy a separate charger and cable every time they purchase a new gadget.
• Based on this rationale, the government wants to come out with the possibility of ending the redundancy of having multiple chargers in every household.

Which player will be impacted the most?

• The directive for a common charger for all phones, laptops, etc. would severely impact the biggest player Apple because Apple’s iPhone is still using the Lighting port for charging and this requires a different cable compared to most other Android phones in the market.
• Apple’s Lightning port is totally different from the top five brands in the Indian smart phone market Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme.
• All the five brands have switched to phones with Type-C charging ports, therefore the chargers can be used interchangeably.
• Samsung has removed chargers and cables from their devices entirely to encourage environmental sustainability.

Case worldwide

• The idea of ‘one charger for all devices’ was also proposed by the European Union in June.
• The rationale again revolved around the problem of e-waste and that users have to buy multiple chargers.

Advantages

• The charging speed is also harmonised for devices that support fast charging, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger.
• Consumers will be provided with clear information on the charging characteristics of new devices, making it easier for them to see whether their existing chargers are compatible with it or not.
• Buyers will also be able to choose whether they want to purchase new electronic equipment with or without a charging device.
• This will lead to more re-use of chargers and will eventually reduce the amount of E-waste generated due to it.
• It will encourage technological innovation towards wireless charging technology.