Why DHL, FedEx and UPS are central to eBay’s climate transition plan

eBay, the world’s biggest resale company, has joined the growing cohort of companies that have published a climate transition plan outlining specific steps needed to meet corporate emissions reduction targets. 

Delivering the goods sold by the 134 million sellers on its marketplace to their customers is eBay’s biggest greenhouse gas liability: it accounts for almost 84 percent of total emissions. 

The 30-year-old company vows to cut that footprint by 27.5 percent by 2030 — it has already achieved a 21 percent reduction — and to reach a 90 percent cut across all emissions categories by 2045. The baseline year for reduction goals is 2019.

Those commitments were validated in 2025 by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and the 37-page roadmap published Jan. 14 is a “natural follow-on” to the many cross-function conversations and data-modeling exercises required to come up with the goals, said eBay Chief Sustainability Officer Renee Morin. 

“This is not a report that came out of the blue,” she said.

Approximately one-quarter of companies that report greenhouse gas emissions to research firm CDP have published a climate transition plan, but that number is growing rapidly because of anticipated regulatory changes in Europe and potential requirements as part of the forthcoming overhaul of SBTi’s Corporate Net Zero Standard.

eBay’s climate transition plan provides an inside-out view of the company’s impact on climate change and an outside-in perspective on physical and financial risks that could impact eBay’s business as weather patterns change and the world warms. It is meant to motivate eBay partners, sellers and employees by linking climate goals more explicitly to the company’s long-term business and financial growth strategy, Morin said. 

Certain sections of the plan are likely to be updated on an annual basis, but eBay hasn’t finalized a schedule.  

“At the end of the day, when you can show the value of sustainability, the value of decarbonizing, the value of derisking systems, then businesses are going to lean into those outputs,” she said.

For example, eBay acknowledges in the report that shipping partners may be adversely affected by flooding, extreme heat or natural disasters exacerbated by climate change. It’s in their interest to collaborate with eBay on potential solutions, the report suggests. 

Prioritizing carriers

eBay doesn’t own fleets or warehouses. But it is prioritizing relationships with carriers including DHL, UPS and FedEx that have explicit goals to decarbonize their operations through investments in electric delivery vehicles and procurement of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). FedEx, for example, has committed to shifting all of its new vehicle purchases to electric models by 2030. UPS and DHL have similar EV buying plans, and both aim to use SAF for 30 percent of their air operations before 2035.

Other strategies eBay is expanding: local delivery options and the use of ground shipping versus air freight, which generates higher emissions. 

eBay published a “carrier engagement guide” in 2024 that outlines its minimum expectations of shipping and logistics partners. It requires all to set short- and long-term emissions reductions goals that are certified by an independent organization and to report annually on strategies for renewable energy, sustainable packaging and operational efficiencies.

In order to reach net zero by 2045, eBay estimates it will need to work with carriers to cut emissions from those activities by 46 percent.