is going a deeper shade of green by reducing packaging waste with their new reusable shipping containers. The boxes, which comes in three sizes, are made from 100% recycled content, FSC-certified corrugated cardboard, printed with water-based inks and are recyclable.
eBay's Green Team site says:
"By our calculations, if every box gets reused at least five times, we could protect nearly 4,000 trees, save 2.4 million gallons of water and conserve enough energy to power 49 homes for a year. We’ve also left plenty of space on the boxes for you – and everyone else who receives the box – to write a personal message to the next person in the chain, giving every box a life of its very own. The history of each box can also be tracked through a virtual community where buyers and sellers can connect online."
The idea came from some of eBay's own employees who won eBay's annual Innovation Expo last spring with this "simple green shipping" design.
Keep an eye out for the new reusable boxes which will be available next month on eBay's website.
Information and photos via Inhabitat.
This article appears in Sep 9-15, 2010.