Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh announced that India will switch to a USB type C charging port for all smart devices after stakeholders reached an agreement at a meeting of an inter-ministerial task force convened by the Union government.
The government is conducting extensive consultations in order to move to two standard chargers, one for all compatible devices and one for low-cost feature phones.
Universal common chargers for portable devices will not only make life easier for consumers, but will also help to reduce the country’s vast quantities of e-waste.
India is estimated to have generated 5 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021, ranking behind only China and the US, according to an ASSOCHAM-EY report titled ‘Electronic Waste Management in India’.
Type C charger for all electronic devices
“During the meeting, a broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on adoption of USB Type – C as a charging port for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops etc. Further, it was deliberated that a different charging port may be adopted for feature phones,” Singh said.
Many advanced economies have already adopted standard charging devices and ports. The European Union (EU) wants USB-C ports to be standard on all devices. The EU passed provisional legislation on June 7 this year requiring all future smartphones sold in the EU, including Apple’s iPhone, to have a universal USB-C port for wired charging by mid-2024.
Representatives from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, the Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change attended the meeting on Wednesday.
The consumer affairs ministry has separately formed a sub-group under the task force to examine the feasibility of uniform charging ports for wearable devices, such as smart watches.
Prevention of avoidable e-waste
The official cited above said stakeholders agreed on a phased roll-out of uniform charging port for “effective implementation and easy adoption”, adding: “Industry should overcome inertia in adopting a uniform charging port in the interest of consumer welfare and prevention of avoidable e-waste.”
According to a recent letter written by the consumer affairs secretary to industry representatives, inviting them to consultations, the Union government believes that the country should move to two types of standard charging devices, one for smart phones and other portable devices such as laptops and tablets, and another for cheaper feature phones, which have a larger market share.
Officials hope that with a policy for common universal chargers, phone manufacturers will not need to ship chargers in the box because consumers will already have the necessary chargers and charging accessories, saving money.
