The EU’s Common Charger Directive went into effect in December of 2024 and requires most new portable electronic devices to ship with an integrated USB-C connector. Subsequently, the EU Commission extended the transition for laptop manufacturers for an additional 16 months, and the grace period officially ended yesterday, April 28.
This means that all new laptops sold in the EU are now required by law to feature at least one USB-C port for charging. The directive specifies that all laptops with a power rating of 100W or less are required to convert to USB-C charging. There is a small exception for devices exceeding that limit, such as gaming laptops, which may continue to ship with the proprietary barrel-plug connector along with the now mandatory USB-C port.
Additionally, laptop manufacturers are also required to offer “unbundled” packaging options for their devices, which essentially means selling laptops without a charger. The measure aims to reduce e-waste and encourage re-use of existing chargers.
The new change affects all new laptops sold in all 27 member states of the European Union. It does not affect devices or second-hand models currently on sale. The EU estimates that switching to USB-C in portable electronic devices would save €250 million annually for consumers and reduce 11,000 tonnes of e-waste per year.
