Apple was the first company to remove power adapters from its retail box for smartphones, and Samsung soon followed with the same practice. Both the brands decided to follow this to reduce its carbon footprint, but some people are not pleased. The companies are currently facing scrutiny and fines from various governments across the world for not shipping power adapters with their smartphones.
The decision to not ship chargers with new smartphones does have some logic. For example, Apple has been using the same lightning port for its iPhones for years now. So, if you are already an iPhone user, you have a charger already that you can use with your new device. For the likes of Samsung, it is easier still since it has been using USB Type-C ports on its smartphones. So, even if you do not have a Samsung charger, pretty much any other USB Type-C charger will work to power up your device.
The main push behind the decision to not include power adapters with the retail box was to reduce carbon footprint. Apple said that by removing the power adapter from the box it is reducing its yearly carbon emission by 2 million metric tonnes because now it can use smaller boxes and more boxes can ship in a single shipping pallet. This is also helping them save on shipping costs. Apple is believed to have saved more than $6.5 billion in shipping so far.
Apple is currently facing fines in Brazil for not shipping the new iPhones with power adapters. A judge in Brazil has ordered Apple to reimburse a consumer the equivalent of $1,081 dollars since not shipping a power brick with the device violates consumer laws of the country. Samsung is also facing a fine for not including a charger.
Both the companies are also being charged in Sao Paulo by a consumer protection agency called Procon. According to reports, Procon in Fortazela has issued a fine of $5.2 million, it is not known if this figure has been levied on these companies individually, or combined. Both brands are facing more than “900 Procons across Brazil that may soon open an administrative proceeding against the two tech giants”.
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