Apple is a tough business

Apple says its new generation watches are carbon neutral. In the press release announcing Watch Series 9, the phrase “carbon neutral” was used at least 24 times. This means that the company offsets potential carbon dioxide emissions from Series 9 and Ultra 2 production by absorbing an equal volume (for example, by planting an appropriate number of trees) or producing no emissions at all by using recycled materials. instead of creating new ones. But this The claim was rejected as “inaccurate” by European consumer organization BEUC.

The European Union now wants to ban claims that a product is carbon neutral if the claim is based on “offsetting credits,” which is exactly what is mentioned above, where a company emits carbon but offsets it by absorbing it. However, a product whose production does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions can be called such.

Following subsequent presentation, the company admitted that its claim was based on the use of compensatory credit. First, emissions from the three largest sources of greenhouse gases (materials, electricity and transportation) were minimized. The small amount of emissions remaining offset by high-quality carbon credits from environmental protection projects. This “small amount” is reportedly between 7 and 12 kilograms per hour.

Europe does not like this approach

The Financial Times reported that Apple’s use of the term sparked a backlash and was rejected by the European Consumer Protection Organization.

Carbon neutrality claims are scientifically inaccurate and misleading to consumers. The EU’s recent decision to ban carbon neutral claims will rightly rid the market of such false claims, and Apple watches should be no exception.
– says BEUC CEO Monique Goyens.

Non-profit organization Carbon Market Watch agreed, calling the use of compensation an “accounting gimmick”: “Consumers are being misled into thinking that buying watches has no impact on the climate. These are accounting gimmicks.”added Gilles Dufran, political director of Carbon Market Watch, which is partly funded by the EU.

To offset emissions Apple uses forest plantations and reforestation projects. This means the company is planting enough trees to cover the emissions associated with the production, delivery and charging of the watch over its lifetime.

However, this approach has been criticized by saying that this is only a very temporary effect.

The trees are turned into pulp, cardboard or toilet paper. The carbon stored in these products is released back into the atmosphere very quickly.
– says Niklas Kaskela, who advises companies on carbon credits.

However, experts still admit that Apple is ahead of most companies in this regard, having reduced emissions from watch production by 81% compared to 2015.

On the way to ban

Recently the European Union announced plans to ban carbon neutrality claims in marketing materials, if these claims are based on damages. The plans are not yet final but are currently expected to be completed by 2026.

As a matter of fact, if you examine this question, it becomes clear that there is no such concept as “carbon neutral production”. At any stage of the production of goods we receive emissions in some amount or another. The best we can do is take into account the carbon released into the atmosphere by production processes and try to offset it by absorbing it in one way or another. Another way to achieve this goal is to reuse used items. Both of these methods were chosen by Apple.

Apple’s offset credits rely heavily on forests, and although some of these remain intact, most trees are eventually cut down for paper production, at which point carbon neutrality is lost.

So here you can support and criticize both sides – both the regulators and the manufacturer itself. After all, Apple is doing more than any other tech giant to reduce its carbon footprint and has made some truly impressive progress. But it also uses statements that could mislead consumers into thinking that Series 9 and Ultra 2 production produces no emissions.