The Ministry of Justice in Brazil has ordered a ban on iPhone sales without a charging adapter and has imposed a $2.3 million daily fine on the company. The decision was announced in the action in the Official Gazette of the Union just a day before the launch of the new iPhone 14 series.
Starting from iPhone 12 series released in 2020, Apple stopped including power adapters and Earpods. The tech company explained that the decision was taken for environmental reasons to reduce e-waste as most consumers already own power adapters. Secondly, slimmer boxes allow the company to ship more units and reduce carbon emissions.
However, Brazilian authorities have resisted the change. In December 2020, Apple was forced to sell iPhone 12 with a power adapter in São Paulo, in 2021, the tech giant was fined $1.9 million for excluding accessories from its iPhone retail box and the allegations that it misled consumers with its advertising and sold devices with factory defects and in 2022, Apple was ordered to pay $1,000 to customers for excluding the power brick.
Brazil halts the implementation of a $2.3 million daily fine, part of the new ban on iPhone sales
As reported by g1, the Ministry order read that sale of all iPhone models without a charging brick is suspended.
“Application of a fine in the amount of BRL 12,274,500 (twelve million, two hundred and seventy-four thousand, five hundred reais), cancellation of registration of iPhone brand smartphones introduced on the market from the iPhone 12 model and immediate suspension of supply of all iPhone-branded smartphones, regardless of model or generation, unaccompanied by the battery charger”, reads the text of the DOU.
And the $2.3 million daily fine is conditioned to Apple’s circumventing the ban. The penalty will be applied later if the company fails to provide a charger in the iPhone box.
Previously, it was reported that Anatel, a Brazilian regulatory agency, had proposed for all smartphone manufacturers to adopt USB-C charging ports for “greater convenience for consumers” and reduce e-waste for environmental sustainability.
It is confusing to understand why a country that wants to adopt environmentally friendly practices is pushing an OEM to ship power adapters and contribute to e-waste. No other country besides Brazil has forced Apple to include the power adapter, so far.
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