SAN FRANCISCO -- When eBay Inc. CEO John Donahoe took the stage at this year's Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) conference -- an annual event that brings together world business leaders from companies such as Nike, IBM, and Levi's around the topics of sustainability and corporate responsibility -- he talked about the uniqueness of eBay. "What makes this company so fun," he said in his opening remarks, "is we touch so many people in the world."
In relating how the company connects buyers and sellers, Donahoe shared a story with the audience about how he sold an old mobile phone on eBay, donating the proceeds to a favorite charity. "The fact that I was donating the proceeds through eBay Giving Works made all the difference to the buyer," he said.
Donahoe's story highlighted how the company helps people give back to their communities while also, through its business model, promoting the sustainable consumption of goods. He said, "More than $100 billion worth of used goods have been traded on eBay ... in that sense, we're the world's biggest recycler."
Underscoring the compounding effect of individual actions, Donahoe noted that just the purchase of used leather handbags on eBay over the last three years (rather than new handbags from a physical store) resulted in a 94,000-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to planting two million trees. "And that's just one category of more than 50,000 categories on eBay," he added.
In addition to eBay's role and responsibility in advancing the conversation around sustainable consumption, Donahoe also talked about how the company lives up to its founding principle that people are basically good. "We are a purpose-driven company," Donahoe said. "Everything we do is about connecting buyers and sellers and creating opportunities for people." He highlighted several key facts that highlighted this idea:
- eBay buyers and sellers have donated more than $165 million to charity through eBay Giving Works in the past five years.
- Tens of thousands of ethically-sourced, Fair Trade and eco friendly products have been sold through our WorldofGood.com marketplace.
- PayPal users have provided funding to help more than 150,000 of the world’s working poor start small businesses through MicroPlace.
Donahoe left the audience with three thoughts on sustainability and eBay Inc.'s role in advancing the cause:
- "We’re just getting started." The company has a unique starting point, with intrinsically green business models. "We’re still figuring out what responsibility and opportunity comes with our unique business model," said Donahoe. "We don’t have all the answers."
- "We’re in listening mode." Donahoe noted that partnership with stakeholders – from the CSR community to employees to customers – is critical to taking advantage of the company's position and opportunties.
- "We want to be transparent and bold." With this year's launch of the eBay Green Team, as well as the company's commitment to a significant carbon reduction target, Donahoe said eBay Inc. will be sharing its progress -- what works and what doesn’t.
He said, "We build our reputation, not on our words, but on our actions."
-- Reporting by the eBay Green Team
See the video highlights of John Donahoe's remarks.