Apple Watch Series 9 Draws Regulatory Scrutiny in Europe

Apple and the European Union have been at odds in recent years, which has even forced the company to make radical changes. Now the European entity is going after Apple for its claims that it is a carbon neutral brand, especially with its Apple Watch models.

Apple is even talking about the carbon neutral efforts that have gone into making the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. The details of its strategy were even presented in a fake interview with an actress disguised as Mother Nature during the iPhone 15 launch. event in September. But the company may have to drop this label when marketing these products in the region.

As highlighted in a Financial Times report, the European Consumer Organization has been quoted as saying it will now allow companies like Apple to make carbon-neutral claims based on carbon emissions. The agency believes that consumers cannot be misled by using terms such as carbon neutral, as it believes they are scientifically inaccurate.

Apple is probably one of the most proactive companies to continue its efforts to minimize carbon dioxide, but the European body is clearly not having it. Apple even claims to use recycled materials in the manufacture of its devices, which may be true to some extent. In fact, the company felt the need to leave the charger in the iPhone packaging, which has reduced the size of the box.

However, most people aren’t sure if that was the right call because people would still have to buy the chargers separately, which means more money going into Apple’s coffers. The two sides clearly do not see eye to eye on a number of issues.

Apple was forced to use the USB C port on iPhones after the EU passed a new law to standardize mobile charging ports. Likewise, the company is under pressure to allow sideloading of apps in iOS, which is a far cry from Apple’s decades-long ideology.