Will there soon be standardised charging cables?
An EU-wide uniform charging standard for smartphones and other mobile devices should make your life easier and reduce waste. This proposal by the European Commission in September 2021 was recently adopted by the EU Parliament.
Devices should also no longer be automatically sold with cables. You'll have to buy a cable separately, but hey. You probably already have one in your drawer anyway. This is a super easy way to avoid electronic waste.
How much electronic waste does that really save?
That can only be estimated. But one thing is certain: e-waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the EU. One figure often quoted by experts is around 1,000 tonnes per year.
When will the standard finally be introduced?
The earliest the change could become real is 2024. For this to happen, the EU Parliament must introduce a corresponding law by the end of 2022. The countries would then have two years to implement the law and finally make USB-C the charging standard.
