eBay Joins Important Sustainability Conference

June 16, 2021

Earlier this month eBay took part in a conference titled “Three Years of Mosaico Verde: together with companies to reforest Italy, tree by tree” where we shared eBay’s experience with, and commitment to, sustainability. Mosaico Verde is an environmental campaign run by Azzero CO2 (a sustainability consultancy founded by Kyoto Club and Legambiente, two major environmental organizations) with the aim of requalifying the Italian territory through forestation projects, involving public bodies and companies. Back in 2019 during the Christmas season eBay launched a regifting campaign using the hashtag #eBayDonaPerTe. For every item sold using this hashtag in the listing, eBay had committed to donate €1 to Mosaico Verde. The contributions collected were used to plant 1000 trees in Bracciano, near Rome.

The Mosaico Verde campaign is a project that eBay strongly embraces because it is fully consistent with eBay’s goal of promoting sustainable consumption and with the values that make up our DNA. At eBay, we have always been committed to sustainability in all its social, economic and environmental forms. We support small- and medium-sized Italian businesses, acting as partners and business enablers. Thanks to our marketplace, we have the opportunity to promote the circular economy and a more conscious consumption through the second-hand market, helping to reduce environmental impact.

A recent study commissioned by eBay in Italy assessed the environmental impact of C2C sales in the electronics and fashion markets. The study showed that 17,000 tonnes of carbon emissions were saved in 2020 thanks to the C2C sales on our marketplace. Another study, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of eBay, revealed a renewed and increased focus of consumers on sustainable sales and purchase practices in the C2C marketplaces. In the Harris Interactive study 71% of the respondents said they are motivated to buy second-hand products for environmental reasons, and 94% of the respondents believe in the importance of reuse and encourage the sale of second-hand products.

The Mosaico Verde campaign was incredibly important to us. Regifting is one of the ad-hoc initiatives we have launched over the years to encourage users to increase C2C sales and participate in the creation of a more sustainable economy, engaging our entire community in valuable actions to build a better future for all.