Universal Phone Charger Approved by the International Telecommunication Union

To minimize 13.6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, the International Telecommunication Union has approved the creation of a standard for a universal phone charger. The 13.6 million tons of greenhouse gas is from the 51,000 tons of redundant chargers which will be eliminated when this universal phone charger goes into circulation.

Cellphone manufacturers basically choose what type of charger they are going to use for each handset model they produce. This in effect causes redundant chargers being sold everyday – one for this phone, another for my secondary phone, and another one for an older model. The Universal Charging Solution will enable the creation of one-size-fits-all chargers that can be used on any future phone, according to the ITU.

Based on Micro-USB, the new chargers will also be energy efficient. alcolm Johnson, director of ITU’s telecommunication standardization bureau, said in a statement that Universal chargers are a common-sense solution which could also branch out in other areas, not just in the mobile market.