Seven Apple Watch buyers are taking Apple to court in California

Another day, another lawsuit: Apple is taken to court by Apple Watch owners who – to put it mildly – disagree with the Cupertino giant about its claims for "carbon neutral" products.

The complaint, filed this week in a federal court in California, involves seven buyers of the Apple Watch Series 9, SE, and Ultra 2. Now, all of these smartwatches were marketed with a green tag (indicating that they're all environmentally friendly). The plaintiffs argue they would not have purchased the devices or would have paid less if they had been aware of what they call the true nature of Apple's environmental claims.

The iPhone maker introduced the watches in September 2023, promoting them as carbon neutral through a mix of lower emissions and carbon offset purchases. However, the lawsuit contends that two key offsetting projects Apple relied on did not actually contribute to meaningful carbon reductions.

According to the plaintiffs, one of these projects, located in Kenya's Chyulu Hills, includes land that has been within a protected national park since 1983, making deforestation unlikely regardless of Apple's involvement. The other, China's Guinan Project, reportedly featured dense tree coverage well before the initiative began in 2015. The lawsuit states that emissions reductions would have occurred with or without Apple's participation, rendering the company's claims of carbon neutrality inaccurate and deceptive.

The plaintiffs also pointed to research by the National Retail Federation and IBM, which found that 70% of consumers in the US and Canada consider environmental sustainability an important factor in purchasing decisions.

In a statement on Thursday, Apple did not address the lawsuit directly but defended its environmental efforts. The company emphasized that it has significantly reduced emissions from Apple Watch production by over 75% and continues to invest in nature-based projects designed to remove large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Apple also stated that it presents its environmental initiatives transparently.

Apple has been criticized over the eco-friendliness of the Apple Watch before. In 2023, Apple's claim that some of its Apple Watch models are carbon neutral was facing pushback from the European Union.

The EU consumer organization BEUC has rejected the claim, calling it scientifically inaccurate and misleading, as it relies on carbon offset credits rather than eliminating emissions entirely. Apple acknowledges that between 7 and 12 kg of emissions per watch remain but argues they are offset through high-quality credits.