- Sen.
Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter Thursday to call for "uniform standards" for device chargers. - Sens. Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders joined Warren in a letter to Department of Commerce on the issue.
Sen. Elizabeth is once again calling for the US to follow the
In a tweet posted Thursday, Warren wrote that potential legislation to streamline chargers would create "less expense, less hassle, and less waste."
—Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) July 7, 2022
Her tweet follows a letter sent to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo penned by Warren and fellow senators, Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders which pushed for a device charger plan that would save consumers more money.
"The average consumer owns approximately three mobile phone chargers, and around 40 percent of consumers report that, on at least one occasion, they 'could not charge their mobile phone because available chargers were incompatible,'" the senators wrote.
The letter also highlights that chargers account for 11,000 tons of e-waste annually.
A similar plan in the EU was improved in June, which requires all smartphones and mobile devices to be compatible with a USB-C charger by fall 2024, CBS Boston reported.
The American senators didn't specify what type of charger should be considered the standard, but CNET editor-at-large Ian Scheer told CBS "it's unlikely companies will manufacture new products with different charging ports in different countries."
Although the EU parliament and 27 countries must sign off for this plan to take effect, consumers could be looking at new smartphone designs from several companies, including Apple.
"The EU has wisely acted in the public interest by taking on powerful technology companies over this consumer and environmental issue," the senators said in the letter. "The United States should do the same."