Here's Why the Apple Watch and Mac Mini Are No Longer Advertised as 'Carbon Neutral'

As noted by the French blog WatchGeneration, the Apple Watch and Mac mini are no longer advertised as 'carbon neutral' products on Apple's website.

The term 'carbon neutral' means that, on a net basis, a product does not add any carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Apple achieves this by reducing emissions and through projects that offset carbon, including working with Forestal Apepu to develop fast-growing eucalyptus forests for timber production on deforested lands in Paraguay.

When paired with select bands, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models were Apple's first carbon-neutral products, and the Apple Watch Series 10 and the latest Mac mini with M4 chips were also advertised as being carbon neutral.

In 2023, Apple said each carbon neutral Apple Watch model met the following strict criteria: 100% clean electricity used for manufacturing and product use, at least 30% recycled or renewable material by weight, and at least 50% of shipments occurring without air transportation. Apple said these combined efforts resulted in at least a 75% reduction in product emissions for the new Apple Watch models, and it said it would use 'high-quality carbon credits' to address the 'small amount of remaining emissions.'

However, starting with the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple no longer includes a 'carbon neutral' label on its product pages or packaging worldwide. Apple also removed the label from its Mac mini product pages. This change took effect worldwide following Apple's iPhone event in September.

There are a few reasons why.

In August, Apple's vice president of environment Sarah Chandler told Fast Company that this change was not the result of a change in the company's environmental efforts. Instead, a new law in the EU taking effect in September 2026 will ban companies from using claims like 'carbon neutral' or similar across packaging, ads, and product pages.

Second, a German court ruled the Apple Watch could no longer be advertised as 'carbon neutral,' after a local environmental group accused Apple of 'greenwashing' with misleading carbon neutrality claims. According to Reuters, some ecologists said carbon offsetting plantations can actually harm biodiversity and require high water usage.

Apple likely still considers the Series 11 and Ultra 3 to be carbon neutral internally, but it is getting ahead of laws and rulings that prevent it from advertising it. Apple removed the label worldwide to avoid potentially confusing customers.

Given the Mac mini received no changes last month, it likely remains carbon neutral too.

Apple is still aiming for carbon neutrality across its global footprint by 2030.

'We're proud of our carbon neutral products and on track to achieve carbon neutrality throughout our entire supply chain by 2030,' said Apple, in a statement shared with Fast Company. 'Every Apple product is designed with the environment in mind, and that commitment will continue, regardless of new EU rules restricting how we can talk about it.'Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11, Mac miniTag: Apple EnvironmentBuyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now), Mac Mini (Neutral)Related Forum: Mac miniThis article, "Here's Why the Apple Watch and Mac Mini Are No Longer Advertised as 'Carbon Neutral'" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums