In the past, smartphones came with a variety of accessories right from the start, including earbuds and chargers. Today, those items must be purchased separately. This isn’t a major issue since high-quality earbuds are widely available, but one would expect manufacturers to at least incorporate chargers to keep batteries charged. Supposedly, this change benefits the environment, or so companies like Samsung suggest.
The electronics retailer Uniqbe Limited analyzed the ecological consequences of smartphone makers skipping charging bricks in their packages. The analysis indicates that firms could cut packaging materials per smartphone box by 50%, resulting in slimmer boxes. These slimmer boxes enable manufacturers to fit more devices on shipping pallets (70% more). The environmental repercussions extend beyond the smartphone’s initial lifecycle to its disposal. Slimmer boxes take up less landfill space, and since new smartphone shipments do not come with charging bricks, customers are less likely to discard their old ones with each upgrade. This translates to tens of millions less metric tons of e-waste annually. Financial gains also play a role.
With more smartphones fitting per pallet, shipping expenses per unit are lowered. Additionally, the cost of producing all the items packed into a box declines as the price of a charging brick is no longer included in each package. While companies may be motivated by profit, they are nonetheless engaging in eco-friendly practices.
The emergence of USB-C technology has made traditional charging bricks largely unnecessary.
Although phone makers no longer provide charging bricks with their packages, they still equip new devices with USB-C cables. Thanks to advancements in USB technology, these cables have become highly compatible, enabling users to utilize their own wall outlet plugs. Sort of.
Many companies favor USB-C cables for several reasons. Unlike earlier versions, they can connect to USB-C ports regardless of orientation, and more crucially, modern USB-C cables incorporate Power Delivery (PD) technology. This functionality adjusts voltages based on the device in use, allowing for potential charging of nearly any gadget, from a Nintendo Switch 2 to a smartphone.
Theoretically, if you obtain a charger that utilizes a USB-C port (or a charger with a USB-A socket paired with a PD-compliant cable that features a USB-C port), it could serve to keep various devices charged, including multiple smartphones. However, to ensure longevity of the charging brick, it’s essential not to skimp on a cheap USB-C wall plug.
Some detractors argue that the logic is flawed.
If the statements from smartphone manufacturers are taken at face value, it seems that shipping phones without charging bricks indeed lowers packing material needs. Nevertheless, some believe this doesn’t equate to reducing overall packaging.
Critics, including Mrwhosetheboss on YouTube, have quickly noted that most smartphone users still require wall chargers. This results in increased material use since charging bricks have their own boxes, making it impossible for designers to merge packing materials into a single container any longer. This holds true whether you purchase the cable from a local Best Buy or Target. Shipping involves its own packaging and associated costs, often exceeding the savings companies experience from removing chargers from the boxes. Additionally, the earbuds that were previously included alongside charging blocks in larger packages contribute to further packing material use, transportation fees, and pollution — again, surpassing what manufacturers save by omitting them from the smartphone packaging.
Ultimately, all the savings phone manufacturers hoped to gain by eliminating chargers and shipping phones in smaller boxes are undermined by the cube-square law: as the surface area of a container increases, its volume escalates at a faster rate, providing designers more space for extras like chargers. Striving for sustainability is commendable, but it’s crucial to verify your calculations first.