By Reuters and Adry Torres For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:32 EDT, 6 September 2022 | Updated: 11:09 EDT, 7 September 2022

The Brazilian government has ordered apple Inc to stop selling iPhones without a battery charger in the country, claiming that the company provides an incomplete product to consumers.

Apple announced in October 2020 that it was going to stop including the adapter and headphones with its devices worldwide ahead of the iPhone 12 release, as part of its plan to protect the planet by reducing waste and carbon emissions. 

The Brazilian Justice Ministry, however, contests that the product is now not as advertised. It has fined Apple $2.38 million and ordered the cancellation of the sale of the iPhone 12 and newer models.

The ruling, which was published in the Official Journal of the Union, the country's official gazette, also instructed the company to suspend the sale of any Apple smartphone, 'regardless of model or generation, unaccompanied by the battery charger.'

The ministry argued that the iPhone was lacking an essential component in a 'deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers.'

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Brazilian Justice Ministry issued a $2.3 million fine on Apple and instructed the company to suspend the sale of the iPhone 12 and subsequent model that is sold without a battery charger. Apple was also ordered to stop the sale of any smartphone, 'regardless of model or generation, unaccompanied by the battery charger'

Apple does provide the lightning cable but without the charging adapter in iPhone 12 devices and other subsequent model that have been released since October 2020 when the company announced it was halting the inclusion of adapters and headphones as part of its plan to protect the planet by reducing waste and carbon emissions

With the release of the iPhone 12 in October 2020 and other subsequent models, Apple no longer includes charging adapters with the devices that are sold worldwide

Apple's move to eliminate the accessories was applauded by environmentalists.

'This could not only help to reduce waste but also would prevent upstream environmental impacts linked to the extraction of primary raw materials, manufacturing and distribution of products,' Teresa Domenech of University College London's Institute for Sustainable Resources told CNBC.

The company argued that the phones do come with a lightning cable that functions with adapters that are sold by other mobile phone accessory makers.

However, Brazilian authorities rejected the argument, indicating there is no evidence of environmental protection from selling the smartphone without a charger.

The ruling comes a day before Apple launches its newest iPhone model.

An employee assists a customer at an Apple store in Sydney, Australia, on March 18. The company is scheduled to release its latest smartphone, the iPhone14, on Wednesday

The company is scheduled to launch the iPhone 14, its latest version of the Apple Watch and a new headphone during an event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California on September 7.

In June, the European Union announced that USB-C chargers would be required for all smartphones and handheld devices sold in all 27 member states by 2014.

The ruling meant that Apple would be require to change the charging port on its iPhones. 

In April, a Brazilian judge ordered Apple to pay a customer $1,081 because the company had failed to include a battery charger after purchasing an iPhone.

Currently, iPhones use Apple's proprietary power connector technology 'Lightning', while Android-based devices use USB-C connectors. 

The EU wants a uniform charging cord for smartphones and other devices to reduce electronic waste, but Apple argues this would limit innovation and hurt consumers. The union estimates that discarded or unused chargers account for 11,000 metric tons of e-waste in Europe every year. 

Judge Vanderlei Caires Pinheiro, of the Goiânia 6th Special Civil Court, opined that Apple forced into a tie-in sale and 'obliges the consumer to purchase a second product of its exclusive manufacture which without the main product does not serve the purpose for which it is manufactured (and) intended.'

Apple is thought to have sold 190 million iPhones worldwide since the move. Total gains from removing chargers and earphones, plus reduced shipping costs, could be as high as $6.5 billion, with an additional estimated $293 million from the sale of accessories. 

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Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group