eBay is continuing their commitment to climate action by setting an ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Direct climate action
eBay has committed to reduce its own (scope 1 and scope 2) emissions 90% by 2030 from a 2019 base year, in line with limiting global temperature warming to 1.5°C– the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process and aligned with the Paris Agreement.
Value chain (seller) climate action
eBay has also committed to reduce value chain (scope 3) emissions from downstream transportation and distribution by 20% in the same timeframe. These emissions represent the transportation of the goods shipped using its platform and eBay will work with logistics providers to offer low-carbon alternatives. This is good news for sellers as it will make your own businesses more climate friendly.
Separate from the science-based target, eBay is also committing to be carbon neutral for their offices and data centers (scope 1 and 2) by the end of 2021. With this commitment eBay will continue to prioritise reducing its footprint and will offset any remaining emissions to be carbon neutral from this year on.
“At eBay, we believe we have an urgent and important responsibility to mitigate the impact of climate change. We are committed to ambitious action and the approval of our science-based target along with our accelerated carbon neutrality goal are critical to the work we are doing to have real, measurable impact.”
– Renee Morin, Chief Sustainability Officer, eBay
“We congratulate eBay on setting science-based targets consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement. By setting ambitious science-based targets grounded in climate science, eBay is taking action to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change.”
– Alberto Carrillo Pineda, Managing Director, Science Based Targets at CDP, one of the SBTi partners
Progress so far
eBay has taken a number of steps including reduction of overall energy use, moving electricity supply to renewable energy sources, reduction of water usage, waste diversion and more. In 2020, eBay sourced 74% of its electricity supply from renewable energy, up from 66% in 2019 and eBay’s San Jose headquarters is 100% powered by renewable energy, with a target to cover 100% of eBay operations by 2025.
From eBay’s SBT baseline year of 2019 to 2020, eBay’s has already reduced scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 19% primarily due to increased investment in renewables.
eBay is continuing to accelerate its transition to a clean energy economy, for example the recent investment alongside McDonald’s with Lightsource bp to purchase power from what will be Louisiana’s largest solar project. Once completed in mid-2023, the project will generate over 600,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean energy annually, which is estimated to abate more than 450,000 metric tons of GHG emissions annually.
