Apple claims the Apple Watch 9 is carbon neutral, but consumer groups disagree

Date:
Wed, 25 Oct 2023 11:33:58 +0000

Description:
The Apple Watch 9 might not be as carbon neutral as Apple says, thanks to the use of carbon credits.

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In recent years Apple has put a big focus on its environmental credentials, and with the Apple Watch 9 the company made one of its biggest claims yet, saying that this wearable was carbon neutral, but that claim has been disputed.

According to a report in the Financial Times (via Ars Technica ), a number of consumer and environmental groups have claimed that this is inaccurate
because Apple relied on purchasing carbon credits to achieve carbon neutrality.

This means that Apple was of course creating carbon emissions to produce
the Apple Watch 9, but that the money spent on these credits will be invested in projects such as reforestation, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The idea here is that Apple is completely offsetting its carbon use by investing in these projects. But critics claim this approach is
flawed. Questionable credits

For one thing, there are questions over whether these schemes actually remove as much carbon as Apples production processes are emitting, with Niklas Kaskeala, chair of the board at the Compensate Foundation, saying that with timber plantations for example trees are turned into pulp and cardboard or toilet paper and that the carbon stored in these products is released back into the atmosphere very quickly.

Even if these projects really do fully offset Apples carbon emissions though, its misleading to consumers to give the impression that buying the Watch has no impact on the climate at all according to Gilles Dufrasne, a policy
officer at the non-profit Carbon Market Watch, since Apple is still very much impacting the climate in the Apple Watch 9's creation. Dufrasne added that
its accounting tricks.

This carbon neutral claim might be one that Apple and others wont be able to make for much longer though, as the European Parliament and Council agreed in September to ban misleading advertisements, which include claims based on emissions offsetting schemes that a product has neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment.

This ban hasnt come into play yet, but its set to in 2026 though that will only apply to the EU. Apple's approach isn't without merit

It is worth noting, however, that while its probably shrewd being skeptical
of any carbon neutral claims, Apple does appear to be doing more for the environment than many major companies.

As well as carbon credits, Apple is also making heavy use of recycled materials, clean electricity, and non-air transportation, meaning that increasingly its products are transported by ship or rail, rather than on planes, which are worse for the environment.

So the company deserves credit for this, it just might want to work on its wording and perhaps rely less on carbon credits to reach its environmental goals. You might also like Best Apple Watch : top smartwatches to use with
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/apple-claims-the-apple-w atch-9-is-carbon-neutral-but-consumer-groups-disagree


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