Apple Sued Over Alleged Misleading ‘Carbon Neutral’ Claims for Apple Watch

News Desk

Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) is facing a lawsuit from consumers who allege the company’s claim that three versions of its Apple Watch are “carbon neutral” and environmentally friendly is deceptive.

Filed on Wednesday in a federal court in San Jose, California, the lawsuit involves seven buyers of the Apple Watch Series 9, SE, and Ultra 2, who argue they would not have purchased the products or would have paid less if they had known the truth about Apple’s environmental claims.

Apple introduced these watches in September 2023, asserting they achieved carbon neutrality through reduced emissions and carbon offset programs. However, the plaintiffs—residents of California, Florida, and Washington, D.C.—contend that two offset projects Apple relied on failed to deliver genuine carbon reductions.

According to the complaint, Kenya’s Chyulu Hills Project is located in a national park protected from deforestation since 1983, while China’s Guinan Project included land already densely covered with trees before its 2015 launch.

The plaintiffs argue that these projects did not provide additional environmental benefits and that Apple’s carbon neutrality claim is therefore misleading.

The lawsuit highlights a study by the National Retail Federation and IBM, which found that 70% of consumers in the U.S. and Canada consider environmental sustainability a key factor in their purchasing decisions.

In response, Apple defended its environmental initiatives but did not address the lawsuit directly.

“We’ve drastically cut emissions for Apple Watch by over 75% and are investing significantly in nature-based projects to remove hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon from the air,” the company stated, emphasizing transparency in its sustainability efforts.

Apple aims to achieve full carbon neutrality, including throughout its supply chain, by 2030.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction preventing Apple from marketing the three Apple Watch models as carbon neutral.

The case is Dib et al v. Apple Inc., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-02043.