Brits may soon be able to use the same charger for Samsung, Nokia and iPhones following a landmark agreement between manufacturers.
Ten mobile phone makers have agreed to create phones capable of being charged using the same device within the EU.
The companies signed a voluntary Memorandum of Understanding after the EU threatened to introduce legislation forcing them to comply.
European Commission vice-president responsible for enterprise and industrial policy Gunter Verheugen welcomed the agreement as an environmental breakthrough.
He said: "I am very pleased that industry has found an agreement, which will make life much simpler for consumers.
"This also means considerably less electronic waste, because people will no longer have to throw away chargers when buying new phones."
Under plans, future iPhone 3G, Nokia E71, Samsung i900 Omnia 8GB and Nokia 6300 models will all be capable of being charged using a micro-USB connector.
However, the new charger is not expected to be ready for use until 2010.
The announcement comes after new rules to cap the cost of roaming calls and texts throughout the EU were introduced.