Why is there no charger or cable included with my new Xperia phone?

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When you unbox your brand new Xperia phone, you might be surprised to find some expected items missing. Indeed, the new Xperia phones do not include a charger or cable. We acknowledge that this can give a sentiment of disappointment because, in the end, you pay a fair price for our product. However, we didn't just forget or try to reduce costs and skimp on the charger and cable. In fact, in this article, we'd like to explain why we don't include those two prevalent items. 

Road to Zero

In 2010, Sony launched the "Road to Zero" environmental plan, aiming to achieve a zero environmental footprint by 2050. There are a lot of activities that support this challenging goal, going from using more renewable energy sources to reducing the number of resources and amount of carbon used when creating and transporting products. This last point influenced the decision to remove the charger and cable. 

Reduced packaging and plastic

Since 2018, Sony removed the final 27% of plastic from the Xperia packaging, and in 2022, we succeeded in eliminating all plastics from the packaging. By removing the charger and cable, we could also reduce the packaging size by half! In the case of the Xperia 1 IV, for example, that change translates to a whopping 36% reduction in CO2 emission. A smaller box means we can transport more devices in the same space, reducing the fuel consumption per unit and decreasing the waste afterwards. 

Remember when every device had a different charger? Many households still have a drawer somewhere teeming with old chargers and cables. Luckily, with the advent of USB charging, it's easier than ever to re-use other cables and chargers. With this in mind, and because many devices currently use a USB-C cable, Sony decided to help dial back the over-consumption of chargers and cables, in line with EU recommendations. If you use a different cable, make sure it is CE certified. We thank you for your understanding and support.