eBay, the world’s greatest resale firm, has joined the rising cohort of firms which have printed a local weather transition plan outlining particular steps wanted to satisfy company emissions discount targets.
Delivering the products bought by the 134 million sellers on its market to their prospects is eBay’s greatest greenhouse fuel legal responsibility: it accounts for nearly 84 p.c of whole emissions.
The 30-year-old firm vows to chop that footprint by 27.5 p.c by 2030 — it has already achieved a 21 p.c discount — and to succeed in a 90 p.c reduce throughout all emissions classes by 2045. The baseline 12 months for discount objectives is 2019.
These commitments have been validated in 2025 by the Science Based mostly Targets initiative (SBTi), and the 37-page roadmap printed Jan. 14 is a “pure follow-on” to the numerous cross-function conversations and data-modeling workouts required to provide you with the objectives, stated eBay Chief Sustainability Officer Renee Morin.
“This isn’t a report that got here out of the blue,” she stated.
Roughly one-quarter of firms that report greenhouse fuel emissions to analysis agency CDP have printed a local weather transition plan, however that quantity is rising quickly due to anticipated regulatory adjustments in Europe and potential necessities as a part of the forthcoming overhaul of SBTi’s Company Web Zero Commonplace.
eBay’s local weather transition plan offers an inside-out view of the corporate’s impression on local weather change and an outside-in perspective on bodily and monetary dangers that might impression eBay’s enterprise as climate patterns change and the world warms. It’s meant to encourage eBay companions, sellers and workers by linking local weather objectives extra explicitly to the corporate’s long-term enterprise and monetary development technique, Morin stated.
Sure sections of the plan are prone to be up to date on an annual foundation, however eBay hasn’t finalized a schedule.
“On the finish of the day, when you possibly can present the worth of sustainability, the worth of decarbonizing, the worth of derisking techniques, then companies are going to lean into these outputs,” she stated.
For instance, eBay acknowledges within the report that delivery companions could also be adversely affected by flooding, excessive warmth or pure disasters exacerbated by local weather change. It’s of their curiosity to collaborate with eBay on potential options, the report suggests.
Prioritizing carriers
eBay doesn’t personal fleets or warehouses. However it’s prioritizing relationships with carriers together with DHL, UPS and FedEx which have specific objectives to decarbonize their operations by way of investments in electrical supply automobiles and procurement of sustainable aviation gas (SAF). FedEx, for instance, has dedicated to shifting all of its new automobile purchases to electrical fashions by 2030. UPS and DHL have related EV shopping for plans, and each intention to make use of SAF for 30 p.c of their air operations earlier than 2035.
Different methods eBay is increasing: native supply choices and the usage of floor delivery versus air freight, which generates increased emissions.
eBay printed a “service engagement information” in 2024 that outlines its minimal expectations of delivery and logistics companions. It requires all to set short- and long-term emissions reductions objectives which can be licensed by an impartial group and to report yearly on methods for renewable vitality, sustainable packaging and operational efficiencies.
So as to attain internet zero by 2045, eBay estimates it might want to work with carriers to chop emissions from these actions by 46 p.c.