Sustainable Commerce

In 2024, we continued to roll out energy-saving upgrades, including the installation of efficient lighting at several U.S. and global locations. Our data centers have also been equipped with more efficient cooling systems to reduce operational energy use. Energy efficiency strategies like these have contributed to a 92% reduction in our Scope 1 and 2 emissions from our 2019 baseline.

The reduction in Scope 2 emissions from 2023 to 2024 was primarily driven by our strategic approach to renewable energy procurement and the allocation of offsite bundled Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs), from our colocation data center providers, and a small number of purchased unbundled RECs for global offices. We allocated VPPA RECs to our data centers and Salt Lake City sites, which are the largest energy consumers where local renewable electricity solutions are not readily available. This approach resulted in a significant reduction in Scope 2 emissions* and enabled us to achieve our 100% renewable energy and RE100 goal a year early.

In 2024, our Scope 3 emissions were primarily generated through downstream transportation and distribution (T&D) of items purchased on our platform. Our other significant category of Scope 3 emissions is purchased goods and services. We refined the way we track and measure Scope 3 emissions across categories in 2024.

In 2024, approximately 84% of our total Scope 3 emissions were generated by the shipping and transportation of items purchased on our platform. The increase in emissions from 2023 to 2024 was primarily driven by shipments traveling longer distances and at a higher weight per package on average.

We are proud to say that our San Jose headquarters and seven other offices use 100% renewable energy through their utility providers. We have also invested in virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) in Texas and Louisiana. In 2024, our third VPPA became operational, and we refined our renewable energy procurement strategy for global offices, authentication centers, and colocations. These efforts enabled us to achieve our 100% renewable energy and RE100 goal a year early.

To maintain this goal, we will continue to prioritize local green programs and VPPAs when feasible and monitor increases in overall electricity usage.

Since 2020, we have been an official member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership, which encourages organizations to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity by using green power. In 2024, we were once again included in the partnership’s Top 30 Tech & Telecom list, which highlights top Green Power Partners in the technology industry.

We remain committed to reducing the amount of waste that leaves eBay-owned sites. At our U.S. offices in Austin, NYC, and San Jose, we now procure primarily eco-labeled office supplies, compostable cafe products, and green cleaning chemicals and supplies. We also expanded waste reduction efforts in Dublin, Ireland by eliminating paper cups and sauce sachets, opting for reusable cups and sauce dispensers. In San Jose, we switched to a socially responsible food service provider, Bon Appétit, that offers organic and locally-sourced food and is dedicated to minimizing their climate impact. We also implemented Bon Appétit’s WasteNot™ program to monitor and optimize waste streams in our cafeteria, and we have maintained a high waste diversion rate across all operations at headquarters. Finally, we continue to refine our waste data collection process and expand reporting to additional global sites.