Apple's Carbon-Neutral Claims for Latest Products Challenged by European Consumer Groups

European Consumer Organisation labels Apple's "carbon-neutral" claims as misleading, EU moves to ban greenwashing terms in marketing, potentially impacting Apple's future promotional strategies.

Apple's claim of creating 'carbon-neutral' devices, such as Apple Watch Series 9 has been challenged by The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and other groups, which label these claims as 'scientifically inaccurate' and misleading for consumers.
The BEUC and the European Union are moving to ban 'greenwashing' terminology like 'carbon-neutral' from marketing materials, a decision that could impact Apple's marketing strategies significantly from expected enforcement by 2026.
Apple's carbon neutrality claims were based on offsetting carbon emissions through projects like tree planting in Paraguay and Brazil, which have been criticized for their short-lived climate benefits and have also led to the generation of 'nature based carbon removal' criticism.
Green initiatives, such as replacing leather bands with recycled materials-based FineWoven textile and having suppliers and shipping companies move to renewable energy, were part of Apple's claim to be moving towards carbon neutrality.
The EU's proposed ban on carbon neutrality claims has been largely based on the argument that these claims are often backed by offsetting schemes that do more to distort a company's true environmental impact than to actually reduce carbon emissions.