According to the latest proposal filed by the EU, it wants smartphone makers to make it easier for customers to replace their phone’s battery just like in the good old days. Here’s the story.
EU Files Proposal To Change Phone’s Battery With Ease
According to the latest proposal filed by the EU, it ought to make phone batteries sustainable with a new approach. The proposal says customers should be able to easily replace their phone’s battery, just like a few years back when phones had removable batteries. If that’s not the case, the EU wants the battery manufacturers to put up a label or QR code on the batteries scanning which the customers can gain information on the battery life cycle, material extraction, and how to dispose them among others. The multi-layered proposal resolves many problems related to the phone’s battery. Another one is regarding the use of chemicals and metals in its manufacturing. Here, the minimal level of recycled materials ranges from 6% of nickel, 85% of lead, 6% of lithium, and 16% of cobalt, among others. Moreover, it isn’t limited to the phone’s battery but involves SLI, EV, LMT, and industrial batteries. Although there’s still a lot of time left for manufacturers to design such batteries, the EU’s take on revamping the smartphone stratosphere is commendable. EU made it clear that Apple, among other OEMs, should use USB-C ports by 2024 followed by other devices, including but not limited to cameras, laptops, and other devices. It even forced smartphone makers to introduce 4 years of Android support and 3 years of security updates to keep Android devices afloat for longer than usual when most companies may not even offer more than one major upgrade.
