Key Takeaways
1. Consumers have filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the Apple Watch models are falsely marketed as “carbon neutral.”
2. The lawsuit argues that two carbon offset projects funded by Apple have not effectively reduced carbon emissions.
3. Allegations suggest that the claimed carbon reductions would have occurred regardless of Apple’s involvement in the projects.
4. The misleading marketing is said to hinder consumer choice and deny informed buying decisions in the smartwatch market.
5. The legal case is currently ongoing in the United States District Court of Northern California.
Apple might not be as green as they say.
A recent lawsuit from consumers suggests that the tech giant misrepresented the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch SE. These watches were marketed as “carbon neutral,” but seven buyers argue that this claim is misleading.
Claims About Carbon Neutrality
According to Apple, the watches achieved carbon neutrality through a mix of lowered emissions and funding carbon credits by investing in carbon reduction initiatives. The lawsuit, which involves customers from Florida, California, and Washington, D.C., asserts that two carbon offset projects funded by Apple have failed to effectively lower carbon emissions.
One of these projects is located in China, while the other is in a national forest in Kenya. Both initiatives focus on forestry, but the lawsuit claims they have done very little to actually reduce atmospheric carbon. The Kenyan project has been protected from deforestation since 1983, and the Chinese initiative is situated in a tree-rich area.
Allegations of Misleading Information
The lawsuit contends that “in both instances, the carbon reductions would have happened regardless of Apple’s participation or the projects’ existence. Since Apple’s claims of carbon neutrality rely on the effectiveness and credibility of these projects, its assertions are false and deceptive.” Apple stated that these initiatives have “retired 485,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents,” according to the lawsuit, which also claims these statements are misleading and incorrect.
The individuals involved in the lawsuit expressed that “Apple’s misleading marketing tactics… hinder consumer choice” and “[deny consumers] the chance to make informed buying decisions in the smartwatch sector.” The main argument in the lawsuit is that “each Plaintiff might not have bought the Products or would not have paid as much had they known that Apple’s ‘carbon neutral’ assertions were untrue,” indicating that Apple’s advertising led to financial harm by manipulating consumer choices.
Current Legal Proceedings
The case, titled Dib et al v. Apple Inc., has been filed in the United States District Court of Northern California under Case number 5:25-cv-02043 and is presently ongoing.
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