Apple announced Watch Series 9 as its first carbon-neutral product two years ago, claiming manufacturing, use, and disposal did not contribute to global warming. Each aluminum Series 9 and Series 10 generates just over 8 kilograms of CO2, which Apple offsets by purchasing carbon credits tied to eucalyptus plantings in Paraguay. Deutsche Umwelthilfe sued over the carbon-neutral claims. A German court found that three-quarters of the project area is on leased land with leases ending in 2029, undermining permanence. The court ruled that short lease timelines make the carbon compensation unreliable through 2050, potentially violating German competition law.
Each aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 10 - two models with the carbon-neutral designation - generates just over 8 kilograms of carbon emissions. Apple then offsets those emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. The German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) brought the lawsuit against Apple. Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment. A panel of German judges zeroed in on the nature of those credits, which stem from the planting of eucalyptus trees in Paraguay.
The court said the short timeline undermined the company's carbon-neutral claims and runs afoul of German competition law. Consumers might reasonably expect that forests used in carbon offset projects today would remain standing in 2050 and beyond since the Paris Agreement calls for a cessation of carbon emissions in the latter half of the century. "Consumers would therefore assume that CO 2 compensation is secured for the advertised Apple Watch until about 2050," the court chairwoman said.
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