At eBay, commerce leadership includes actively helping to shape the future of the industries in which we participate. We recognize that our voice, together with those of our hundreds of millions of users, can be an effective advocate for ensuring thoughtful, effective public policy and lasting change. That’s why we are active at every level – global, national, state, and local – on key issues, such as clean energy, international development, and responsible business. We also strive to work directly with peer companies to develop and share best practices. And on a continuing basis, we engage with stakeholders to provide real time information on our efforts and progress.
Lending our Voice
eBay actively supports public policy to spur clean energy development and adoption, and federal policy around climate change. At the international level, eBay Inc. was a signatory of the Bali Communique, the Poznan Communique, the Copenhagen Communique, and 2011’s Two Degree Challenge all calling for a comprehensive, legally-binding United Nations framework to address climate change.
In the United States, eBay Inc. is a member of Ceres-led Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), and serves as a member of BICEP’s Steering Committee. Through BICEP, we, along with our fellow corporate members, lend our voice to the core belief that a rapid transition to a 21st century, low-carbon economy will create new jobs and stimulate economic growth while stabilizing our planet’s fragile climate.
eBay Inc. is also active at the state level, often with our employee Green Team members in the lead. We have been vocal supporters of the California Global Warming Solutions Act, bi-partisan legislation enacted in 2006, and we helped to defend it again in 2010. Our Green Team in Salt Lake City has identified and officially supported state legislation to help make renewable energy more viable in Utah, including the Utah Net Metering Bill, the Renewable Energy Financing Provisions bill, and utility provider Rocky Mountain Power’s solar incentive program.
Driving the Conversation
At eBay, we are committed to driving sustainability not only across our businesses, but also within the wider industries in which we participate. To scale renewable energy, in collaboration with SolarTech, CALSEIA, and the Silicon valley Leadership Group, we hosted the groups’ inaugural Solar Summit in 2009. Starting in 2009 and again in 2010, we also partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to host their annual Solutions Lab conference, which draws hundreds of sustainability influencers and thought leaders.
In 2008, eBay also signed on to the World Resource Institute’s Green Power Market Development group for sharing best practices for purchasing and developing new sources of renewable energy. In addition, we are ongoing members of cross industry collaborations such as Business for Social Responsibility and Ceres, which help us share best practices, and learn and dialogue with other companies.
Advancing Transparency
eBay was an early signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, and issues an annual Communication on Progress against the Compact’s ten principles, including three specific to environment. Since 2008, eBay Inc. has performed an annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory covering the impact of all of the company's direct business operations – including even some of those outside of eBay's direct control – and reported every year to the Carbon Disclosure Project. The climate advocacy organization Climate Counts has recognized eBay’s leadership in this space by awarding us their top score.
In addition, since 2009 we annually support an MBA intern as an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow. At eBay, our Climate Corps Fellows help identify and drive energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives, but they also report back their findings to EDF who aggregates and share best practices in energy efficiency across the Climate Corps sponsoring companies.
Our efforts have been recognized: from being named to Newsweek’s Top 100 Green companies, to receiving Public Counsel’s Corporate Achievement Award for outstanding corporate citizenship, to being named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2011.
