(Credit: Apple)
The new Apple Watch lineup includes the company’s first-ever carbon neutral products, taking a major step towards its 2030 carbon neutrality goal.
The new Apple watches all meet a number of criteria to ensure a 75% reduction in overall product emissions for each model, according to the company.
This includes manufacturing that uses 100% clean electricity, use of 30% recycled or renewable materials, and using 50% non-air transport shipping. The company plans to use carbon credits to offset the remaining emissions.
Apple has also said it is making a number of changes to create even more sustainable products. The company will stop using leather in all of its product lines, and replace it with FineWoven, a material made from 68% post-consumer recycled materials.
The company also said it will use 100% recycled metals in its key components by 2025. The battery of iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 already use 100% recycled cobalt in their batteries.
With the company’s Apple Trade In program, Apple will accept used watches to be refurbished or recycled for free.
Apple’s Goal: All Carbon Neutral Products by 2030
Apple has been identified as a leader in the global smartphone market, and the company has made significant steps to create sustainable data centers. Recently, Apple has also been a prominent voice in promoting emissions reporting mandates.
In 2020, Apple achieved carbon neutrality for its global corporate operations and has maintained the standard since then. The company has been able to reduce its total emissions by over 45% as of 2015 while growing revenue by 65% in the same time period.
Apple has set the goal of making all of its products completely carbon neutral by the end of the decade, including consideration of global supply chain emissions. The main areas where Apple plans to cut emissions are electricity, materials, and transportation.
The company has included considerations of packaging in its carbon-neutral products as well, planning to use only plastic-free packaging by 2025. The new Apple Watches will be packaged in 100% fiber-based materials.
Along with its announcement of the carbon-neutral watch line, Apple unveiled its new Grid Forecast technology, which helps customers better understand their individual carbon impact.
The tool allows customers to see when the grid is generating more clean energy, so they may charge large appliances or EVs at that time to help reduce emissions. Customers may access this new technology through the new carbon-neutral watches and other Apple devices.