Greenwashing: The Apple Watch can no longer be advertised as CO₂-neutral

Apple, the best-selling smartwatch, can no longer be described as CO₂-neutral. This is the result of a climate lawsuit filed by the German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which accuses the Silicon Valley company of greenwashing.

DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch comments: “Large corporations like Apple must not deceive consumers about climate protection, but must provide accurate information about the climate impact of their products.”

At the end of August 2025, the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court granted the DUH's injunction against Apple Distribution International Ltd. (Case No. 3-06 O 8/24).

The technology company advertises three of its smartwatch models as "carbon-neutral products" and claims that the CO₂ emissions generated during the production of the watches are offset by "nature-based" compensation projects. Apple remained vague for a long time about which projects these were.

During the course of the legal proceedings, which have been ongoing since 2024, it has emerged that the company is relying on eucalyptus monocultures in Paraguay to compensate for its remaining CO₂ emissions, for which lease agreements expire as early as 2029 and a subsequent use is not guaranteed.

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) warns: Eucalyptus monocultures are not natural forests. They are maintained through the regular use of agricultural pesticides such as the bee-killing agent fipronil. The fast-growing trees consume enormous amounts of water and are highly flammable during droughts, which further calls into question the long-term carbon sequestration achieved by such projects.

Regional Court confirms greenwashing allegation

The advertising is untenable due to the short project duration, according to the current ruling. The buffer accounts cited by Apple, intended to compensate for the loss of the leased land after the contract ends, are also unsuitable for ensuring sufficient security in the sequestration of the stored emissions, the regional court ruled.

Jürgen Resch emphasizes:

"The alleged CO2 storage in commercial eucalyptus plantations is limited to only a few more years, the contractual guarantees for the future are insufficient, and the ecological integrity of the monoculture areas is not ensured. With our climate lawsuits against greenwashing by industry and commerce, we are ensuring that even multi-billion-dollar corporations like Apple must provide consumers with honest and verifiable information about the actual environmental impact of their products."

"Apple falsely gives the impression that its Apple Watches, advertised as carbon-neutral, have a balanced carbon footprint. This promise misleads consumers."

DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch

Lawyer Remo Klinger, who represents DUH in the proceedings, adds:

"The court agreed with DUH's assessment and ruled accordingly: Apple may no longer advertise its smartwatches with the statement 'The Apple Watch is our first carbon-neutral product.' The lease agreements for 75 percent of the project area are only secured until 2029. The technology company was unable to prove in court that the leases for all areas would be extended. Consequently, the project's continued existence is not guaranteed, and Apple's advertising claim is therefore simply misleading. The court also did not recognize the so-called Verra buffer account, intended to mitigate the uncertainties of potential lease extensions, as sufficient."