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How sustainable is eBay ?

EBay & sustainability


eBay
First milestones, should be better Click here for score rapport: 3 out of 16

Sustainability summary

eBay has achieved the D-label. According to us, eBay has started to take sustainability into account, by being more transparant about carbon emissions, but a lot more can be done.

Brand owner: eBay Inc.
Head office: San Jose, CA, USA
Sector: Websites
Categories : Shopping
Free Tags: eBay Inc.

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EBay sustainability score report

Last edited: 12 January 2017 by Barry
Last reviewed: 12 January 2017 by Mario

Questions about Climate Change/ Carbon Emissions

3 out of 9
1. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions ? eBay Inc. (brand owner of ebay), implements several measures to reduce its climate emissions, such as increasing efficiency in facilities and processes and generating on-site clean energy. Source
2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual absolute carbon footprint of its 'own operations' (Scope 1 & 2) and has the brand already reduced or compensated 10% of these emissions in the last 5 years? eBay Inc. reduced its climate footprint of own operations from 240,326 metric tons CO2e in 2013, to 187,215 metric tons CO2e in 2015 (see link, previous question). This represents a reduction of around 22,1%. Source
3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of its 'own operations' by at least 20% within the next 5 years? eBay Inc. does not communicate concrete up to date information on target reductions for its greenhouse gas emissions. Source
4. Is at least 10% of the electricity used by the brand (company) generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy? eBay Inc. mentions green energy use for electricity (14.2% in 2014), but only specifies on-site generation from solar. For its office facilities, eBay Inc. mentions to purchase 100% renewable energy, but does not make clear from what kind of resource (see link, page 5). Source
5. Is at least 25% of the electricity used by the brand (company) generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy? See remark for carbon emissions policy question 4. Source
6. Is at least 50% of the electricity used by the brand (company) generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy? See remark for carbon emissions policy question 4. Source
7. Is 100% of the electricity used by the brand (company) generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy? See remark for carbon emissions policy question 4. Source
8. Is the overall average Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) of the data center(s) below 1,5? eBay Inc. gives an overview of all used data centers with their individual PUE values. These are all below 1.5. Source
9. Is the overall average Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) of the data center(s) below 1,25? eBay Inc. gives an overview of all used data centers with their individual PUE values. Only one of these has a PUE below 1.25, so it is unclear what the average PUE is. Source

Questions about Environmental Policy

0 out of 5
1. Does the brand (company) publish a water and/or land use footprint and is there a policy to minimize, reduce or compensate this footprint? eBay Inc. publishes water use data for its data centers in Salt Lake City and Phoenix, but does not communicate concrete information regarding efforts to minimise the impact of its overall water and / or land use. Source
2. Does the brand (company) have clear objectives to minimize waste, by reducing, re-using and recycling, and does the brand annually report the results? eBay Inc. does not communicate concrete information regarding efforts to minimise the impact of its waste generation. Source
3. Does the brand (company) have a corporate policy for environmentally responsible disposal of e-waste? eBay Inc. does not provide any current information on the responsible disposal of e-waste. Source
4. Does the brand have a policy to seek out suppliers and/or service providers that conduct their business in environmentally responsible ways and does the brand provide concrete examples of this policy? eBay Inc. requires suppliers in its Supplier Code of Conduct to make a positive environmental impact through their actions, but does not provide any concrete examples. Source
5. Does the brand have a concrete environmental procurement policy for all electronics used - including servers? eBay Inc. does not provide information on a policy for the environmental procurement of electronics used. Source

Questions about Labour Conditions/ Fair Trade

0 out of 2
1. Does the brand have a policy to seek out suppliers and/or service providers who conduct their business in more socially responsible ways and does the brand provide concrete examples of this policy? eBay Inc. requires suppliers in its Supplier Code of Conduct to conduct their business in more socially responsible ways, but does not provide any concrete examples. Source
2. Does the brand have a concrete socially responsible procurement policy for all electronics used - including servers? eBay Inc. does not provide information on a policy for the socially responsible procurement of electronics used. Source