Apple Watch's "carbon neutral" credentials knocked back by German court

Apple is working towards a goal to become completely carbon neutral by 2030, but a German court has suggested the Apple Watch isn’t quite ticking the eco-boxes it’s supposed to, as yet.

During its launch in 2023, Apple reportedly claimed that its Apple Watch 9 was its first product to be "carbon neutral". However, a court in Frankfurt has recently ruled that’s "unfounded" based on the company's definition of the process.

It all comes down to Apple planting trees to offset the carbon emissions of manufacturing the device.

Apple set to appeal the ruling

The regional court in the German city has found that, while Apple has committed to planting eucalyptus trees in Paraguay, three-quarters of the land where they’re being planted is only leased to Apple until 2029. It is concerned that there's no guarantee of the program continuing following that.

The court suggested the lack of a “secure future for the continuation of the forest project" means the carbon neutral claim cannot be substantiated:

"This promise deceives consumers, because it is based on a carbon-indulgence scheme with an ineffective offsetting project," said Juergen Resch, federal managing director for Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH).

Apple naturally disagreed with the claims, stating that its actions complied with EU guidelines on carbon neutrality:

"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," an Apple representative told AppleInsider.

Apple will be able to appeal the decision, so watch this space.