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Deutsche Umwelthilfe sues Apple over ‘CO2-neutral’ Apple Watch advertising

Filed at Frankfurt’s regional court, the case challenges whether nature-based offset projects can genuinely neutralize the emissions from Apple Watch production

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Apple logo auf Grashügel.

Overview

  • The Deutsche Umwelthilfe filed an Unterlassungsklage against Apple on May 28 at the Landgericht Frankfurt to halt allegedly deceptive advertising.
  • A hearing is scheduled for June 3 to examine claims that Apple’s CO2 neutrality statements mislead consumers.
  • Apple’s offset strategy hinges on nature-based compensation projects, primarily eucalyptus monocultures in Paraguay.
  • The environmental group contends that trees harvested every ten to twelve years cannot store carbon long enough to offset the Watch’s lifetime emissions.
  • Apple defends its approach by highlighting a more than 75% reduction in Apple Watch emissions and investments in projects it says remove hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon.