The effects of climate change are no longer confined to the distant future.
They are a present danger set to become more apparent as time progresses. As such, it’s come time for businesses to see the future of their operations as contingent on the future of the planet. Firms that want to be profitable in the future should take steps today to ensure there will be a suitable environment in which to make profits for future generations.
eBay is one such company that has embraced this view. Their plan for sustainable commerce is one that will allow the digital shopping platform to serve customers for decades to come. As a company, eBay supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its platform, initiatives, and business operations.
They specifically focus on 6 SDGs that reflect material issues and enable eBay to responsibly grow its business. For example, eBay wants its operations to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2025. This goal is in accordance with SDG #7: clean and affordable energy. Recently, eBay has joined McDonalds in agreeing to purchase power from Louisiana's largest solar project, pushing the company closer to its ambitious goal.
Another SDG that eBay embodies particularly well is #12, the goal related to responsible consumption and production. eBay’s entire platform is one where products can continuously find renewed life and value.
Using innovative technologies, they endlessly pursue new ways to advance circular commerce. In a specific case, Samsung products like the Galaxy S20 Ultra are now part of eBay’s Certified Refurbished program, encouraging people to buy their electronics used. These efforts have a notable ecological impact; in 2020 alone, sales of pre-owned electronics and apparel on eBay conserved 720,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.
Recommerce isn’t just a sustainable way to shop. It’s eBay’s main business model.
eBay understands that company growth and climate consciousness are not competing goals. If companies want to be able to sell their products 50 years from now, there needs to be a world able to both create and buy said products. Sustainability initiatives are a matter of practicality.