Back in 2023, Apple made sustainability news with a flashy ad touting its new line of “carbon-neutral” Apple Watches. At the time, I raised concerns about litigation risks posed by the bold statement. Sure enough, the company was hit with a class action greenwashing suit in California, where plaintiffs argued that the carbon offsets backing the neutrality claim were of poor quality. Now Apple’s hard-fought “carbon-neutral” labeling is disappearing from the company’s products, but it isn’t due to the litigation. Fast Company reports:
“The change isn’t due to a shift in Apple’s environmental efforts. Rather, a new EU law is forcing the issue: by September 2026, companies will no longer be allowed to use claims like ‘carbon neutral’ or ‘climate neutral’ on packaging, ads, or product pages. Critics say such terms risk misleading consumers. Apple agrees that strong standards are important—but argues it is losing a way to highlight genuine progress in cutting emissions.”
The EU law driving the change is the Directive Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Through Better Protection Against Unfair Practices and Better Information, which bans all claims of carbon neutrality based on offsetting. Back in 2023, when the EU Parliament passed the law, I was concerned about this very outcome. By and large, Apple’s decarbonization efforts are commendable. The company claims to have reduced carbon emissions by 75% in the production of its Apple watches. That remaining 25% covered by carbon offsets is hard to abate emissions with which any company would struggle. Now, Apple is without an easy means to convey this progress to consumers.
Despite the ban on marketing their products as “carbon neutral,” Apple has no plans to change its practices; only its marketing will be impacted. Industry leaders will have to find new, more precise ways of communicating their decarbonization progress with the new EU law taking effect in 2026.
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