Not so fast: German court says Apple can’t call Watch carbon neutral

A German court has ruled that Apple cannot label its Watch Series 9 as carbon neutral, overturning the company’s earlier claim that the product’s entire lifecycle—from manufacturing to disposal—does not contribute to global warming. Although Apple calculates that each aluminum Apple Watch generates just over 8 kilograms of carbon emissions, it offsets these through carbon credits purchased from a reforestation project involving eucalyptus trees in Paraguay. The court’s decision was prompted by a lawsuit from the German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH). The court focused on the nature and duration of the carbon offset project, noting that three-quarters of the eucalyptus plantation area is on leased land with leases expiring in 2029. This short timeframe undermines the credibility of Apple’s carbon-neutral claim because consumers would reasonably expect that carbon offsets should be secured well beyond 2050, aligning with the Paris Agreement’s goal to end carbon emissions in the latter half of the century. Without longer-term land security, the plantations could be cut