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That doesn't really solve the problem since I already have USB chargers lying around but not <insert format here>.

A better solution might be to apply a charge per nonstandard charger given out to customers. At this stage it would practically be an Apple tax.

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It surprises me that non-USB DC power supply plugs haven't been standardised. I have a big box of old chargers and even when if I find a matching voltage with sufficient current, the plug usually doesn't fit or has the wrong polarity.

A huge opportunity for reducing e-waste.

Isn't Apple's charger already standard USB?

Of course it's not. Apple devices don't have USB ports - they have Lightning ports.

Have you read this article at all?

Apple chargers are USB on the block, just not on the phone. You can plug a micro USB cable into an Apple charger to charge your USB devices, and then switch to a lightning cable (whose other end is full sized male USB) to charge your iDevices.

You could also use a non Apple USB charger with your lightning cable to charge your iDevice, though how effective that is depends on the voltage of the block.

The standard iPhone charger has a USB-A socket. You plug a USB -> Lightning cable into that. So it's only the cable that's non-standard. Perhaps not ideal, but rather different from mandating a complete new charger.

Certainly is.

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