Apple will be required to include a power adapter with iPhone models sold in Brazil’s São Paulo state, after authorities rejected the company’s excuse that selling chargers separately was more environmentally conscious.
The iPhone 12 and other new models of the popular mobile device must ship with a power brick and corresponding cable, Procon-SP, São Paulo’s state consumer protection agency, has ruled.
In October, the agency asked the US tech company to explain why the iPhone 12 did not come with a charger, despite costing between $700 and $1,100, depending on the model.
According to Procon-SP, Apple argued that most customers already have power adapters from earlier models, and therefore the decision not to sell the phone with a charger was “aimed at helping to reduce carbon emissions and electronic waste.”
But the consumer watchdog was not convinced, noting that the power adapter is an “essential” part of the product and Apple had failed to make it abundantly clear on its packaging and marketing materials that the critical item is sold separately.
Furthermore, Procon-SP said Apple did not demonstrate how its stingy charger policy actually benefits the environment, and observed that the company hasn’t shown it is particularly concerned about its carbon footprint.
“When failing to sell the product without the charger, claiming carbon reduction and environmental protection, the company should present a recycling project. Procon-SP will demand that Apple present a viable plan,” said Fernando Capez, executive director of Procon-SP.
The regulator said it would continue to review Apple’s business practices, and that the tech giant could face fines if found to be in violation of Brazil’s Consumer Protection and Defense Code.
Apple declined to comment on the order when contacted by Brazilian media.
The company’s “eco-friendly” iPhone 12 has run into similar trouble elsewhere. France said in October that the product must come with EarPods earphones, which were not part of the original package, in order to be in compliance with a law regarding electromagnetic wave exposure.
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