EU plans to oblige gadget manufacturers to extend battery life
The European Union (EU) plans to oblige gadget manufacturers to extend battery life to reduce the amount of electronic waste.
The Verge writes about it.
What is the problem?
Old electronic equipment is the world's fastest-growing type of household waste. Moreover, very dangerous. Almost 10% of e-waste is made up of smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets, and it is the fastest-growing category of waste in the world. For example, the average "life" of a smartphone is only two to three years, after which most people buy newer models.
What is the solution?
European regulators are proposing to force smartphone and tablet manufacturers to supply parts for the devices to professional repair shops for five years after the gadgets go on sale.
How does it work?
The Financial Times writes that this extension of the "life cycle" of smartphones by five years would be roughly equivalent to removing 5 million cars from the roads.
If these proposals are adopted in the EU in 2022, smartphones and tablets will be labeled with energy efficiency (currently, such labels are placed on TVs and household appliances in Europe).
Manufacturers must undergo battery durability tests if they cannot supply batteries for five years. After a thousand charging cycles, devices should retain 80% of their nominal capacity.
At the same time, these rules will not apply to phones or tablets with a flexible main display that the user can partially or fully open or fold.
