Friday, September 05, 2008
eBay’s going internationally green- isn’t it a nice shade?
byeBay launched a new site this week called WorldofGood.com. The site features products made of recycled, natural, organic, and environmentally-friendly materials from around the world. The goal of the site is to let consumers make purchases that have positive social and environmental impacts globally.
eBay developed the site with World of Good Inc., a startup group focused on “ethical supply chains” behind consumer products, and licensed the group’s name for the marketplace. World of Good gets a share of the revenue from the site.
It previously had been operating as an online community focused on the social impact of business. The site now sells fixed-price goods that claim to have positive effects on people and the planet. They hope to help consumers align their social values with their shopping decisions.
A diverse range of products are available in categories including art, clothing, shoes, jewelry, musical instruments, coffee and more. The companies on the site providing these products have to meet certain ethical and environmental standards to participate.
Shoppers can search for products using certain social or environmental categories, revealing additional information about the person who made the product or where it came from. Details also can include the item’s origin and whether some of the proceeds support a charitable cause.
The site utilizes independent third-party organizations such as Rainforest Alliance and Co-op America to screen sellers and verify the validity of the items listed on the site.
According to the Natural Marketing Institute, there is already a fast-growing market for products that emphasize social and environmental awareness. They estimate that the U.S. market for such goods was $209 billion in 2005, and will rise to $420 billion by 2010.
World of Good isn’t just the name of the site—it is their mission. And for consumers who want to align their social values with their shopping decisions, using such a site will make them feel good for making purchases that truly make a difference.
