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Phone chargers

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    Narr.: For those of us who change mobile handsets frequently, -
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    a large part of the junk lying around in drawers -
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    is likely made up of a vast array of different mobile chargers.
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    - Chargers not only change with the different brand phones, but within the same brand -
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    there are different chargers.
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    - I have some old chargers that are useless, they are now obsolete.
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    - It is not logic!
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    Narr.: Searching for a phone charger that works with your phone will soon be a thing of the past, -
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    as the European Commission promoted an agreement with 13 leading mobile companies -
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    to offer a standard charger based on a micro-USB connector.
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    The first such chargers are expected to be introduced on the EU market in early 2011.
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    Antonio Tajani: Our drawers are full of old mobile chargers.
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    Narr.: The European Commission asked manufacturers to harmonise chargers in the EU -
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    in a bid to make citizens' lives easier and cut down on waste.
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    AT: As a result of complaints received from consumers -
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    and the intervention of the European Parliament -
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    the European Commission has decided to solve the problem -
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    of multiplicity of battery chargers for mobile phones.
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    Narr.: The new universal charger will be compatible with mobile phones that -
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    can connect to a computer, but it's expected that this kind of mobile phone -
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    will be predominant in the EU market in a couple of years.
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    We went to London to meet Peter Harrison who, on behalf of Nokia, was satisfied -
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    with the brand new electronic equipment.
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    PH: Instead of having lots of chargers we just go to one solution...
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    Narr.: From early 2011, EU consumers will be able to purchase new mobile phones with -
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    compatible chargers. But will it be possible to buy a mobile phone without the charger?
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    PH: In principle, we could sell packages without a charger.
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    But it really depends on the market dynamics and the customer need -
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    and we have to monitor that and see how that goes.
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    Narr.: ANEC, the European consumer watchdog, welcomes the move to standardise battery chargers.
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    Emilien Gasc: Easy gain of time, gain of space, less environmental costs...
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    Narr.: ANEC insists on the need to monitor the implementation of this voluntary agreement.
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    EG: ...easy solution, thanks to the new standard.
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    So one thing we will have to be careful about — us, and the member states doing market civilians —
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    that no brand implies that you have to use their own specific charger with their own specific phone.
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    Narr.: At the moment there are more than 30 different types of charger for phones across Europe.
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    Environmental expert Stephane Arditi said "Common sense has prevailed", -
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    and pointed out this deal will also encourage more chargers to be recycled.
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    SA: You can see the huge bulk of WEEE waste behind me and -
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    you can realize that this is only a very small amount but we need start with something, -
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    and I think this is a very good initiative.
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    Narr.: The migration from the current company-specific standards to a common standard -
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    will be gradual.
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    AT: Our lives will change for the better thanks to -
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    a harmonised charger system -
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    and if it works I think it will be inevitable -
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    to expand this peaceful revolution to all the other technological devices.
Title:
Phone chargers
Description:

At the moment there are more than 30 different types of chargers for phones across Europe. It is estimated that 51,000 tonnes of redundant chargers are generated each year and the introduction of the new charger will reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 13.6m tonnes. The European Commission signed an agreement with ten leading mobile companies to offer a standard charger that will be based on a Micro-USB connector.
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Video Language:
English
Duration:
03:23
Jani Uusitalo edited English subtitles for Phone chargers

English subtitles

Revisions

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