Two years ago, Apple unveiled the Watch Series 9 as its first carbon neutral product. From cradles to Grave, the company said the manufacturing, use and disposal of new models at the time did not contribute to global warming.
Now, the German courts say Apple must abolish the claims.
Each Aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 10 (two models with carbon neutral designations) produces carbon emissions of over 8 kilograms. Apple then offsets these emissions through the purchase of carbon credits.
German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has filed a lawsuit against Apple.
“The court has largely supported our strict approach to carbon neutrality,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch in an email. “We are focusing on further reducing emissions from industry-leading innovation in the work that has been on track to achieve carbon neutrality across the supply chain by 2030.”
A panel of German judges focused on the nature of Apple’s carbon credits due to planting eucalyptus trees in Paraguay. Three-quarters of the project area are on leased land, and the lease ends in 2029.
The court said the short timeline undermines the company’s carbon-neutral claims and violates German competition law. Consumers may reasonably hope that the forests used in today’s carbon offset projects will continue to exist after 2050, as the Paris Agreement calls for a halt of carbon emissions in the second half of the century.
“Therefore, consumers assume CO2 compensation will be secured for Apple Watch, advertised until around 2050,” the court chair said.
Without long-term leases, plantations could be reduced and could impair the carbon neutrality of credits sold against them.
Update: Added statements from Apple.
