Apple marked Earth Day with a major emissions cut claim: On April 16, 2025, Apple Inc., the American multinational technology company, announced that it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent since 2015 in celebration of Earth Day. This milestone is part of the company’s broader initiative to fully decarbonize its manufacturing and supply chain operations by 2030. The statement is uncheckable.
Self-reported progress raises verification questions
Apple has publicly claimed a 60 percent reduction in its overall carbon emissions as of 2025, emphasizing that this figure excludes the use of carbon offsets. In other words, Apple is asserting that its emissions cuts come directly from actual operational and supply-chain changes such as increased renewable energy use, material efficiency, and low-carbon manufacturing rather than through purchasing carbon credits or investing in offset projects (like reforestation or carbon capture) to “balance out” remaining emissions.
This distinction is significant because carbon offsets often face criticism for allowing companies to appear climate-friendly without reducing their real emissions output. By stating that its 60% reduction does not rely on offsets, Apple presents itself as achieving genuine, measurable decarbonization.
However, the credibility of this claim depends heavily on independent verification. Apple’s environmental data is self-reported, meaning the company compiles and publishes its own figures without mandatory validation by an external scientific or regulatory body. As of mid-2025, organizations such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) or CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) have not yet audited or certified Apple’s results. This absence of third-party verification creates a level of uncertainty because while the company’s internal data may be accurate, external auditing ensures methodological consistency, transparency, and comparability with global climate standards.
Independent sustainability media outlets like ESG Dive (April 2025) and Supply Chain Digital (May 2025) reiterated Apple’s 60% figure and clarified the non-offset claim, but they also implicitly acknowledged the same issue: without external auditing, Apple’s reported progress remains provisional, credible in appearance, but not yet independently validated under recognized global frameworks.
Legal and ethical scrutiny surrounds Apple’s “carbon-neutral” claims
The reduction is calculated from Apple’s own 2015 baseline and covers Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions, covering direct operations, purchased energy and its vast global supply chain. Because most emissions occur in manufacturing, Apple depends heavily on supplier reporting, which can vary in accuracy.
In Europe, environmental marketing terms such as “carbon-neutral” or “net-zero” now face much stricter legal checks. Under the proposed EU Green Claims Directive, companies must prove such claims with independently verified and transparent data.
This growing attention is already having consequences. In August 2025, a German court ruled that Apple could not advertise the Apple Watch as “CO₂-neutral” after the environmental group DUH (Deutsche Umwelthilfe) accused the company of greenwashing. The court found that Apple’s explanation of its carbon offset projects was not explained clearly enough for consumers to understand or confirm.
This case shows that even if Apple has made real progress in cutting emissions, its marketing terms like “carbon-neutral” can still be considered misleading when they rely on offsetting rather than direct emission reductions. It shows how important independent evidence and clear communication are for environmental claims in the EU.
Real progress, but verification remains the true test
Apple’s environmental initiatives mark real steps toward a lower-carbon supply chain, but the company’s 60 percent reduction claim remains uncheckable. Since all available data comes from Apple’s own reports or affiliated research, there’s currently no way for outsiders to confirm the figure independently.
This doesn’t mean Apple’s progress is fabricated, only that it hasn’t yet been validated. Genuine transparency will depend on third-party audits and clear disclosure of how reductions measure and what “avoided emissions” include.
Apple’s efforts show meaningful movement toward decarbonization, yet they also highlight a growing truth in corporate sustainability: progress must be paired with proof. Without independent verification, even ambitious climate milestones risk becoming marketing slogans rather than measurable achievements.
RESEARCH | ARTICLE © Prerana Subedi, Leah Gand, Anastasia-Alexia Colesnicenco
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