In an effort to support the environment and developing nations, eBay now devotes an online marketplace to people and eco-friendly products in partnership with WorldofGood.com to promote artisans across the world.
The traditional auctioning website has been working toward an online community that would promote sustainable living, eBay spokeswoman Dariana Lau said.
"EBay had been looking at this opportunity for the past four years and had been researching different ways to connect people around the world to a global market," she said. "After our research, we decided that World of Good, Inc. would be a good partner because they had already established relations with ethical supply chains."
Available items range from clothing and accessories to toys and food items. Customers can see how their purchases affect the world with a function called good prints, which tells shoppers if their purchased products are "people-positive," "planet-positive" or "animal-positive."
"You can shop by good print so if you are a strong animal activist you can search for animal-friendly products," Lau said. "It depends on what cause is most important for you, or you can just shop generally."
The website uses a concept called "Trustology" to verify that all products, producers and sellers are legitimate. Third-party organizations, like Aid to Artisans and Co-op America, confirm that all products are eco-friendly, Lau said.
"Each seller on the site has to be verified by a third-party trust provider before they can list to ensure that everybody is verified before they come to the marketplace," Lau said.
Though eBAY's venture into the green marketplace will add more competition to other eco-friendly online vendors, Eco Geek Living spokeswoman Malaika Ashcroft said in an email that her company is excited about eBay's new website.
"WorldofGood.com will not only give eco-friendly products greater exposure, it benefits consumers through its "Trustology" requirements," Ashcroft said in an email. "This kind of open exchange is essential to educating the general public about the benefits of eco-products and will also hopefully encourage new innovations in the industry."
Student Environment Action Coalition's national council coordinator Danny Chiotos said eBay's listing of eco-friendly products contributes to the creation of a green economy.
"So often, with the way industry is today and the way they have been for the past 100 years, low income folks and communities of color bear the highest burden of pollution, so we need a green industry where there are millions of new jobs to be created for the green economy," Chiotos said.
As people strive toward sustainable living, the government needs to ensure the affordability of an eco-friendly lifestyle, he said.
"These things often cost more than non-organic products, so we need to ensure that government subsidies and government programs will level the cost and that we are shifting government subsidies from highly polluting industries," Chiotos said.
Boston University College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Katie Crowley said that she is already an eBay user, and thinks the new site is a great way to get green products to every consumer.
"Hopefully the reaction will be positive," Crowley said. "It has such a good cause behind it, and so many people are online now so it seems like the most successful way for people to get involved."
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