Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:54 am
EU officials have reached a deal with top mobile phone makers to introduce a new single, more energy efficient charger by next year to reduce consumer waste and help the environment.
The agreement by Nokia, Motorola, Apple, LG, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and other industry leaders will reduce the number of chargers thrown away when consumers buy new phones.
"People will not have to throw away their charger whenever they buy a new phone," said Guenter Verheugen, EU Industry Commissioner. He estimates that unwanted phone accessories accounted for thousands of tons of waste in Europe each year.
Verheugen also said he wanted to see the common charger expanded to older phones, cameras and laptops.
Late last year, top phone makers unveiled a common energy rating system for chargers, to make it easier for consumers to compare and choose the ones consuming the least energy.
In February, they announced plans to standardize chargers by 2012 to save money for consumers and reduce waste.
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