Apple has received another fine in Brazil over not including a charging brick with the iPhone. On Thursday, the São Paulo state court slapped Apple with a $19 million fine and demanded the company add a charger in the box if they plan to continue selling the iPhone in the country.
In early September, the Brazilian Ministry of Justice hit Apple with a $2.3 million fine and banned iPhone sales in the country. Despite the ban, Apple defied the ruling and continued to sell the device in their stores and authorized retailers.
According to a report from Reuters, Apple claimed the practice of not including a charger in the box is to reduce carbon emissions. Brazilian officials argue that “the company commits abusive practices by selling its flagship product without a charger.” Apple intends to appeal the court’s decision.
Apple hasn’t included a charger or EarPods in the box since the iPhone 12 in October 2020. During the announcement, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives announced that the company is making strides toward a carbon-neutral future and will no longer include these items in the box to save weight and reduce the use of precious materials.
In a press release, Apple says: “removing the power adapter and EarPods from iPhone packaging further reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of precious materials, which enables smaller and lighter packaging, and allows for 70 percent more boxes to be shipped on a pallet.”
Despite Apple stating its environmental goals to justify its decision, Brazil isn’t buying it. The lawsuit filed by the court states: “It is evident that, under the justification of a ‘green initiative,’ the defendant imposes on the consumer a required purchase of charger adaptors that were previously supplied along with the product.”
Apple has already accrued several million dollars in fines in the country but plans to appeal the court’s decision in the coming months. It’s also worth noting that the European Union recently ruled in favor of USB-C as the sole charging port for electronic devices, a blow to Apple and the lightning port.
