The days of hunting around for a charger for your particular make of phone could be over after an agreement was reached to produce a universal power appliance.
Seventeen major handset manufacturers and network operators have decided to ditch the practice of providing separate chargers – and move to a standardised approach by the beginning of 2012.

The GSMA, the mobile industry’s umbrella organisation, said it had agreed the plan in order to cut down on greenhouse gases and cut the estimated 51,000 tons of waste caused by unwanted chargers each year.

“The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this programme is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers,” said Rob Conway, GSMA chief executive and board member.

“There is enormous potential in mobile to help people live and work in an eco-friendly way and with the backing of some of the biggest names in the industry, this initiative will lead the way.”

Among those to have signed up are all of the UK’s major handset makers, including Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson, as well as operators 3, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and O2-owner Telefonica.

The new charger will use phones’ USB connections to recharge the handset battery and are said to be three times more energy efficient than traditional chargers.

Ernest Doku of mobile phone comparison site Omio.com said the arrival of a universal charger is “well overdue”.

He added: “The announcement from the GSMA isn’t just welcome from an environmental standpoint, but will bring immediate benefits to the consumer. Wherever you are, you’ll be able to charge your phone and stay connected.”

The agreement sets out that the majority of new phones released from January 1 2012 will come with the universal charger