Apple has made some pretty big environmental claims over the years, and one of the more eyebrow-raising ones was that select models of its Apple Watch Series 9 were “carbon neutral.” The statement drew some flack from climate experts in 2023, and now a regional court in Frankfurt, Germany has the claim to be unfounded and a violation of competition laws. If the decision stands, Apple may need to revise its language for the smartwatch.
The German court took issue with Apple’s planting of eucalyptus trees in Paraguay as the offset for its carbon emissions tied to that Apple Watch. It ruled that plan was insufficient to merit the “carbon neutral” claim because “there is no secure future for the continuation of the forest project.” Three-quarters of the land in question was only leased to Apple through 2029, the court said, with no certainty of how or where the tree-planting program would continue after that date.
“This promise deceives consumers, because it is based on a carbon-indulgence scheme with an ineffective offsetting project,” Juergen Resch, federal managing director for Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which brought the case against Apple.
A representative from Apple told that “We strongly disagree with the DUH’s position, which runs counter to the EU’s and Germany’s climate strategy and widespread international scientific consensus that both emissions reductions and carbon removal are necessary to achieve global climate goals.” The spokesperson emphasized that the company is still targeting all products , and added that “the Court has broadly upheld our rigorous approach to carbon neutrality.” Apple will have an opportunity to appeal the decision, which seems likely, although no public announcement has been made yet.
Wherever this particular case lands, Apple still has a ways to go on meeting that climate goal. And so does out there.
