Etsy has became the first global e-commerce company to offset 100% of shipping emissions generated by their sellers.
The company has already hit several milestones in their pursuit of sustainability. They are already on track for their 2016 goal of powering their operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2020; their offices fulfilled their goal of generating zero waste two years ahead of schedule; and they have given away thousands of dollars in solar panel discountsto their sellers.
However, 98% of Etsyâs emissions are generated solely through the packages that are shipped from their 2.1 million vendors.
According to the company, the distance that e-commerce packages travel every day amounts to roughly 133,000 trips to the moon and back â and thatâs only for packages shipped in America.
In order to offset the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by their customers, Etsy will now automatically purchase carbon offsets for every product that is purchased on their website.
âThese purchases support environmental projects, including protecting forests that improve air quality and absorb carbon, sponsoring wind and solar farms that generate clean energy and replace fossil fuels, and developing greener methods for producing auto parts,â says Etsy CEO Josh Silverman.
âTo jumpstart our efforts and celebrate this milestone, we will also offset shipping emissions for the entire US e-commerce sector for [the day of February 28th],â he added. âOffsetting this impact for one day is the equivalent of protecting 100 square miles of US forests for one year.
âWhile we are proud to be the first major online shopping destination to offset 100% of carbon emissions from shipping, we certainly hope we are not the last. Considering these offsets will cost less than one penny per package for Etsy, we donât believe that cost should be a prohibitive factor for others to follow in our footsteps. For the benefit of future generations, how can we all afford not to take this action?â
SOURCE: GNN
