Apple Can No Longer Call Apple Watch 'Carbon Neutral' in Germany https://t.co/zSV2YKIfWE https://t.co/8lU3RbKDsC
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds https://t.co/VdIzaRd34M https://t.co/VdIzaRd34M
Germany says Apple can't claim Apple Watch is carbon neutral https://t.co/a5m9s8kwgZ #Apple
A regional court in Frankfurt ruled on 26 August that Apple may no longer market the Apple Watch as a “CO2-neutral” product in Germany, saying the company’s advertising misled consumers and breached competition law. The decision upholds a complaint filed by the environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe. Judges found Apple’s neutrality claim relied heavily on carbon credits generated by planting eucalyptus trees in Paraguay. Because leases covering about 75 % of the plantation land expire in 2029, the court said Apple cannot guarantee that the offsets will last through mid-century, a period consumers could reasonably expect under the Paris Agreement’s climate targets. Apple said the ruling “broadly upheld our rigorous approach to carbon neutrality” but declined to say whether it will appeal. The company added that it plans to phase out the ‘carbon neutral’ label for Apple Watch models to comply with new EU legislation restricting such terms from September 2026. Deutsche Umwelthilfe called the judgment a landmark against corporate greenwashing. The case underscores growing regulatory pressure on technology and other multinationals to substantiate environmental claims tied to carbon offsets and renewable-energy projects.
