Apple Inc. plans to appeal Brazil’s move to ban the sale of iPhones without chargers, arguing that the company’s practice of selling new phones without chargers helps reduce environmental waste.
▲ iPhone 13 box
The Brazilian government on Tuesday ordered Apple to stop selling iPhones without a charger in the country, saying Apple’s offering to consumers is not complete. The Brazilian Justice Ministry argued that Apple’s sale of the iPhone without a charger meant the phone lacked an essential accessory, a “deliberate practice of consumer discrimination. The Brazilian Justice Ministry also fined Apple $12.275 million ($2.38 million) and ordered a halt to sales of the iPhone 12 and newer models.
“At Apple, everything we do takes into account our impact on people and the planet,” Apple said in an emailed statement. “Power adapters represent our largest use of zinc and plastic, and removing them from the box helps reduce carbon emissions by more than 2 million tons, the equivalent of removing half a million cars from the road each year.”
Apple also said Tuesday that it will continue to work with SENACON, Brazil’s consumer protection agency, “to address their concerns and plans to appeal the decision.” “We have won numerous court decisions in Brazil on this topic, and we believe our customers know a wide variety of options to charge and connect their devices,” Apple said.
Apple announced in 2020 that it would stop including chargers in the boxes of new iPhones, prompting an outcry from some consumers who saw the move as an attempt to cut costs. Apple argues that there are already billions of USB-A adapters in the world that users can use to charge their devices.
