EBay Highlights Conservation as a Benefit of Buying Used

This New York Times article outlines eBay's new efforts to attract green-minded consumers. The company has suffered consecutive unprofitable quarters and is trying to re-brand itself to expand its demographic. They hired a company to calculate how much CO2 buying used saves and is incorporating the results into their new advertisements. They have a new site, green.ebay.com, which displays the benefits of buying used. This kind of story shows that companies are trying to announce how green they are in order to increase sales just by changing their advertising. For example, one of the ads proclaims: "Choosing a previously owned espresso machine saves 90% of the CO2 needed to produce a new one. So you get the jolt you need without compromising mankind."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/technology/08ebay.html?em