A German court issued its ruling today on whether the American tech giant Apple made misleading environmental claims in advertising some of its products. Since 2023, Apple has advertised three models of its smartwatches in Germany as “carbon neutral.” According to these advertisements, most emissions during manufacturing and transport are avoided, with a small remaining portion offset through nature-based compensation projects. The German environmental organization DUH considers these claims “blatant environmental deception” and filed a lawsuit against Apple for false advertising. If the Frankfurt Regional Court upholds this assessment, Apple will have to stop these advertisements. In a preliminary hearing last June, the court indicated that some of Apple’s listed offset projects are not long-term enough. The company admitted that in a reforestation project in Paraguay, only 25% of the project area is secured long-term, with some areas leased only until 2029.

However, the court believes consumers expect a time frame extending to 2045 or 2050. DUH doubts any positive climate impact from reforestation projects. According to DUH’s executive director Jürgen Resch, eucalyptus wood is harvested every 14 years and mostly burned. The organization believes reforestation projects require hundreds of years to effectively contain carbon dioxide emitted elsewhere in the long term. Despite criticisms, Apple insists on its claims about the Apple Watch’s carbon neutrality and defends them.