Finally less cable clutter – now the time has come in Germany too. The Bundestag voted on Thursday evening to adapt the so-called Radio Equipment Act. Instead of countless different charging cables, from December 28th people will only need one USB-C cable to charge their electronic devices.
Almost all electronic devices are affected by the rule change towards a uniform standard, including smartphones, digital cameras, headphones, tablets, portable video game consoles, keyboards, e-readers, navigation devices, headsets and portable speakers. Anyone who buys a new device at the end of this year will only find it with a USB-C charging socket. Only laptops are laggards. For them, the USB-C charging standard should come in spring 2026.
The goal: save resources, less electronic waste
By adapting the law, the federal government is anchoring an EU regulation from 2022 in German law. The uniform charging plugs will “contribute to reducing more than a thousand tonnes of waste in the EU every year,” said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in 2022.
Apple fans have been feeling this EU regulation since last fall. Since then, the question “Does anyone have an iPhone charging cable?” History – at least for those who own the latest model of Apple smartphone. Because the iPhone 15 now has a USB-C port. Before that, Apple had stubbornly relied on its own specialty, the Lightning connector, which practically no other provider had in its range. This always led to trouble when looking for the right cable.
USB-C has several advantages
The introduction of a “general purpose cable” has several advantages. On the one hand, there is less cable chaos on the desk and bedside table. The federal government also emphasizes that this conserves resources and reduces electronic waste. “Less consumption of cables and plugs saves resources and reduces the mountain of electronic waste,” said Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) last October. At that time, the federal cabinet had already agreed on the change in the law. This Thursday evening, the Bundestag approved the bill by a broad majority of all parliamentary groups. Only the Bundestag group Die Linke abstained.
Figures published by the federal government last year show how large the pile of cables is that is currently waiting in drawers for European users to be used. Accordingly, consumers in the EU bought around 420 million electrical devices in 2020 and owned three chargers. But they only used two of them regularly. 38 percent of consumers surveyed reported problems charging their devices because they did not have a suitable charger at hand.
USB-C is not the same as USB-C
If all devices can now be charged with the same cable, there is a high probability that it will be used at least once in the household. So far, 11,000 tons of electronic waste have been generated from different chargers alone, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said last October.
Although the oval USB-C socket is set to become standard from December this year, finding the right cable could remain more complicated than some might hope. Because there are sometimes big differences between USB-C cables. Some can only charge devices, others can also transfer data, some can do both at the same time. Additionally, cables can vary in how quickly they can charge or transfer. This is also reflected in the price that consumers have to pay.