During its keynote for the release of the iPhone 15, Apple made a bold claim by saying that all their products will be carbon neutral by 2030, which is sooner than you think. Apple fans and the tech industry have taken this statement with a pinch of salt, as many have made such bold claims before. Apple also started taking off charging bricks that used to be in the box alongside your new iPhone to support their claims. However, statistics showed that they used this tactic to kill two birds with one stone, where more charging bricks were sold separately from their stores, while they could claim that they were industry leaders in supporting the environment with a move like this. And, as predicted, every other company started following them, to a point where having a charging brick alongside your new phone has become a marketing tactic to sell more phones.

But keeping all this aside, we are seeing a paradigm shift in how tech conglomerates approach climate change. PR exercises, constant reminders to avoid using plastic, and intelligent marketing tactics used to gain an edge over their competition have instilled in the consumer that climate change is real and we need to make conscious choices to avoid it. One such tactic has been used by OnePlus through a rather subtle stat shown as an attractive AOD (Always On Display) feature. If you have a OnePlus smartphone and have just recently updated to Android 14, you can head to your AOD settings and select 3 unique designs that include a Globe, A Polar bear family and a school of fish, that artistically tell you how you have helped to reduce CO2 emissions by calculating the steps you have taken in a day. This stat is based on the distance you have travelled and how it has reduced the instances of taking a vehicle or using public transport, which would have led to carbon emissions.

Now, if we go to nitpick, we can say that this is a rather tacky move by OnePlus to promote its brand as an environment-conscious entity, but it is pretty reassuring to see brands like OnePlus trying to bring innovative ways to inform the masses about climate change. We have seen many discussions and groundbreaking changes coming our way due to COP28 that took place in Dubai, and with Oman also making strides towards carbon neutrality and its 2040 vision, the future looks bright.