Etsy to offset emissions from packaging materials

Earlier this year

The new offsetting commitment will cover 100% of the emissions associated with packaging materials for every shipped item from both Etsy and the music gear marketplace Reverb.

The company has confirmed that these offsets will be introduced at no additional cost to customers. Esty will also encourage its 4.4 million sellers to use more sustainable packaging material.

“When you buy an item on Etsy or Reverb, we already measure the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere as a result of shipping that item and invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions by the same amount,” Etsy’s director of sustainability and impact engagement Chelsea Mozen wrote in a blog post.

“Now we’re including the carbon emissions from the materials used to pack your items in that calculation and increasing our investments in offsets accordingly, with no additional cost to buyers or sellers.”

Earlier this year, Etsy set science-based targets and pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.

Etsy set targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to reduce carbon emissions across Scope 1 and 2 by 50%, as well as a 13.5% in Scope 3 emissions. These targets will form part of a wider ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.

In 2019, Etsy announced plans to offset 100% of its carbon emissions generated from shipping items, free of charge for its customers. The move saw the shopping platform work with offsetting firm 3Degrees, which independently validates and verifies projects under internationally recognised standards such as the American Carbon Registry, Climate Action Reserve, Gold Standard, and Verified Carbon Standard.

Etsy confirmed that Reverb has since been covered under the offset initiative. Etsy will offset 100% of shipping emissions for every item purchased on Reverb by investing in environmental projects, including those that conserve hardwoods traditionally used to make musical instruments. Etsy will not place additional costs onto products to cover the offsetting.

Etsy has already committed to a number of other sustainability measures across its core business. In 2016, the firm agreed to power its operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2020, and it has a   Power Purchase Agreement to enable the development of a new solar farm, as well as installing solar panels at its offices. Etsy also achieved zero-waste operations globally in 2018, two years ahead of schedule.

In 2020, Etsy offset more than 400,000 metric tonnes of carbon through this initiative, which is the equivalent of protecting 825 square miles of US forests annually.

Matt Mace