German court rules Apple cannot label Watch as carbon neutral

Apple Watch

Apple’s claim that the Watch Series 9 is carbon neutral has been challenged in Germany, with a court ruling that the company cannot make the assertion. Two years ago, Apple announced the Series 9 as its first carbon-neutral product, stating that the entire lifecycle — from manufacturing to disposal — did not contribute to global warming.

The case, brought by the German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), focused on Apple’s use of carbon credits. Each aluminium Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 10, which were marketed as carbon neutral, produces just over eight kilograms of carbon emissions. Apple offsets these emissions through carbon credit purchases.

Apple defended its approach, with a spokesperson telling TechCrunch: “The court has broadly upheld our rigorous approach to carbon neutrality. We remain laser focused on further reducing emissions through industry-leading innovation in clean energy, low-carbon design and more — work that has put us on track to achieve carbon neutrality across our entire supply chain by 2030.”

However, the German judges highlighted issues with the carbon credit programme. The credits are derived from eucalyptus tree plantations in Paraguay, three-quarters of which are on leased land with leases expiring in 2029. The court noted that this limited timeline undermines Apple’s carbon-neutral claims and violates German competition law.

Consumers could reasonably expect that forests used for carbon offsets would remain intact beyond 2050, consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal of halting carbon emissions in the latter half of the century. The court chairwoman emphasised: “Consumers would therefore assume that CO2 compensation is secured for the advertised Apple Watch until about 2050.”

Without long-term leases, there is a risk that the plantations could be cleared, which would invalidate the carbon credits and challenge the product’s carbon-neutral designation.