eBay has published its first comprehensive climate transition plan, committing to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and strengthening its alignment with a 1.5°C pathway under the Paris Agreement. The plan has been formally validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), placing eBay among a growing group of global digital and retail companies seeking externally verified climate strategies.

The transition plan outlines how eBay intends to cut emissions across its operations, logistics network and broader value chain, with a particular focus on tackling the more complex Scope 3 emissions linked to shipping and consumer behavior.

Operational Decarbonisation Achieved Ahead of Schedule

A central milestone in eBay’s climate pathway has already been met. The company reached 100 percent renewable electricity for its global operations in 2024, a full year earlier than its original 2025 target. This shift covered offices and data centres and laid the groundwork for deeper emissions reductions.

As a result, eBay reports that its operational emissions have fallen by 92 percent compared with 2019 levels. Efficiency improvements and cleaner energy sourcing have driven the majority of these gains. Transportation emissions within the company’s direct footprint have also declined, falling 21 percent toward a 2030 reduction target of 27.5 percent.

According to eBay, these early reductions demonstrate that digital commerce platforms can significantly decarbonise their own operations, even as transaction volumes continue to grow.

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Shipping Emerges as the Core Climate Challenge

While operational emissions have dropped sharply, the transition plan makes clear that shipping remains the dominant source of eBay’s climate impact. The company estimates that logistics account for 84 percent of its Scope 3 emissions, reflecting its role as a global marketplace connecting buyers and sellers across borders.

Reducing these emissions will require collaboration rather than direct control. eBay is working with logistics partners to explore alternatives such as shifting deliveries from air to ground transport where feasible, promoting local pickup options and experimenting with consolidated shipping models. The company acknowledges that balancing emissions reduction with customer expectations around speed and convenience will remain a long-term challenge.

Leadership has characterised logistics decarbonisation as the hardest frontier in eBay’s climate strategy, requiring incremental progress rather than rapid structural change.

Circular Commerce as a Strategic Climate Lever

A distinctive feature of eBay’s transition plan is its emphasis on circular business models as a climate solution. The company argues that enabling resale and reuse at scale can avoid emissions associated with the manufacture of new products, making circular commerce a core element of its net zero pathway.

By encouraging consumers to buy and sell pre-owned goods, eBay positions itself not only as a marketplace but also as a facilitator of product life extension. The company believes this approach can deliver measurable emissions benefits while aligning with evolving consumer preferences and regulatory expectations around waste reduction and resource efficiency.

Analysts increasingly view resale platforms as playing a structural role in emissions avoidance, particularly as methodologies for accounting for avoided emissions mature.

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SBTi Validation and Peer Comparison

Validation by the Science Based Targets initiative provides external assurance that eBay’s targets are consistent with climate science. It also places the company in direct comparison with other major technology and retail players that have set their own net zero timelines.

Investors are paying closer attention to how companies address Scope 3 emissions, especially logistics and supply chain impacts. In this context, SBTi validation is becoming a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator, shifting scrutiny toward execution, interim milestones and transparency.

Implications for Investors and Governance

eBay’s plan reflects broader shifts in how capital markets assess climate risk in digital and retail business models. Logistics emissions, renewable energy procurement and circular economy strategies are increasingly viewed as financially material issues rather than reputational considerations.

The company’s 2045 net zero target positions it within a peer group adopting longer-term, science-aligned transition plans, while acknowledging the structural limits of rapid decarbonisation in global shipping. Progress will be closely monitored by investors, particularly in relation to Scope 3 reductions and the real-world impact of circular commerce initiatives.

As climate disclosure requirements tighten globally, eBay’s transition plan signals an effort to move beyond high-level commitments toward a more detailed, governance-linked decarbonisation strategy, one that will be tested by consumer behaviour, carrier innovation and regulatory change over the next two decades.

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