Phone with removable battery

The European Union may force makers of smartphones, tablets and wireless earphones to use easily replaceable batteries with their devices.

According to the Dutch business newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, which obtained a draft of the EU's plans, the EU's executive arm – the European Commission – is drafting a proposal to force vendors to do this.

Het Financieele Dagblad added that officials plan to formally submit their proposal for public discussions next month.

The EU's plan ties in with its larger goal of reducing e-waste – the waste generated by redundant, non-recyclable electronic devices.

It's an issue that's come under the spotlight recently, as the EU has pushed for a standardized phone charger that works across all smartphone brands and device types – another move aimed at cutting e-waste.

One major smartphone vendor, Apple, pushed back against this idea in January. The tech giant, whose iPhones sport a proprietary connector called the Lightning port, argued that "regulation that forces conformity across the type of connector stifles innovation." It further claimed that the introduction of a universal charging method would generate waste of its own. Unsurprisingly, the EU rejected Apple's claims.