Apple class action alleges false ‘carbon neutral’ claims

Apple class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: A group of Apple customers has filed a class action lawsuit against the company.
• Why: The plaintiffs accuse Apple of falsely advertising three Apple Watches as carbon neutral.
• Where: The Apple class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

A new class action lawsuit alleges Apple falsely advertised its Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and Apple Watch Ultra 2 as being carbon neutral. 

A group of seven plaintiffs filed the class action complaint against Apple Inc. on Feb. 26 in California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

In a 2023 launch, Apple touted these products as a major step toward its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. However, the lawsuit claims Apple misled consumers because these claims were based on faulty carbon offset projects that did not provide genuine environmental benefits.

Apple relied on questionable carbon offset projects, class action alleges

Apple claimed that it reduced 75% of the products’ emissions through various initiatives and offset the remaining 25% with high-quality carbon credits from nature-based projects. Specifically, Apple said it retired 485,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents through the Chyulu Hills Project in Kenya and the Guinan Project in China, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs allege that both projects fail to meet the fundamental requirement of additionality, which means that the carbon reductions would have occurred regardless of Apple’s involvement.

The plaintiffs argue, therefore, that Apple’s reliance on these credits to claim carbon neutrality is misleading, and that furthermore, these claims allowed the company to maintain and justify its premium pricing for its smartwatches. 

Since many consumers are willing to pay more for products they believe are environmentally friendly, Apple took advantage of this trend by falsely marketing its products as carbon neutral, the class action complaint claims.

The plaintiffs claim they and other consumers paid a premium for products that failed to deliver on their promised environmental benefits, which represents a violation of state consumer protection laws, breach of express and implied warranty, unjust enrichment and fraud. 

In early 2025, Apple agreed to a $20 million settlement to resolve claims that certain Apple Watch models are defective and prone to battery swelling issues.

What do you think of the claims made in this Apple class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Amber L. Schubert of Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP, Fletch Trammell of Trammell PC and Don Bivens and Teresita T. Mercado of Don Bivens PLLC.

The Apple class action lawsuit is Dib, et al. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 5:25-cv-02043 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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