A board decided to use USB Type-C as the standard for charging ports of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Its Customer Care Minister announced Wednesday that smartphone manufacturers and industry associations have agreed to a phased implementation of a standard charging connector for all electronic devices.

It was stated that a sub-group would be formed to look at the viability of standard charging connectors for wearables.

This was resolved following a discussion at the inter-ministerial task force meeting held here, which was presided over by Customer Care Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.

Attending the meeting were officials from business organizations like MAIT, FICCI, and CII, educational institutions like IIT Kanpur and IIT (BHU), as well as central government agencies like the Environment Ministry.

In order for a common charging port to be implemented by the industry or adopted by consumers in harmony, stakeholders “agreed that a staggered roll-out of a common charging port would be done,” according to an official statement.

During the discussion, there was a broad agreement among the participants that USB Type-C should be used as a charging port for electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Additionally, it was discussed whether a different charging connector should be used for feature phones, said it.

As in the discussion, the director stated that “business must overcome resistance on adopting of uniform charging port for the sake of customer welfare as prevention of needless e-waste.”

A sub-group will be formed by Consumer Affairs Department to look into the viability of a standard charging connector of wearables. Representatives from industries and companies, educational institutions, etc. will be included in the sub-group.

A Environment Ministry will launch an impact assessment will evaluate or look into to the potential effects of standard charging ports for electronic devices without reference to e-waste, according to the statement.

A standardizing of charging ports is a step in the direction of a LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment) objective, which asks for “mindful as thoughtful usage” but instead of “considerate as wasteful consumption” by people from all over the world.

The LIFE mission aims to establish and support the “Pro-Planet People” (P3), a global network for people who are committed to adopting and promoting environmentally sustainable lifestyles.