The Justice Ministry in Brazil today ordered Apple to stop selling iPhones without a charger in the box, reports Reuters. Brazilian officials say Apple is delivering an incomplete product when not including a power adapter in the iPhone box.
Apple has been fined 12.275 million reais (~$2.34 million) for selling iPhones without chargers, as the government claims that not including a charger is a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers.”
Brazilian officials say Apple should cease offering the iPhone 12 and newer without a power adapter.
Apple has told Brazilian officials that not including a power adapter with the iPhone offers environmental benefits and cuts down on waste, but the officials have so far rejected this argument.
Apple stopped providing chargers with iPhones starting with the 2020 launch of the iPhone 12 lineup. Apple no longer ships iPhones with EarPods or a power adapter in most countries, and it includes just a USB-C to Lightning charging cable. Apple claims that most customers already have power adapters, and says that removing these accessories is part of its effort to “reach environmental goals.”
In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple says it will appeal the ruling:
“At Apple, we consider our impact on people and the planet in everything we do,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Power adapters represented our largest use of zinc and plastic and eliminating them from the box helped cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions — equivalent to removing 500,000 cars from the road per year.” […]
“We’ve already won a number of court decisions in Brazil on this topic and are confident our customers are aware of the various options to charge and connect their devices,” the Cupertino, California-based company said.
