The world's largest auction house, eBay, took part in a research project that was looking for a "sustainable auction culture".

Electronic markets not only enable a dramatic increase in the number of market participants, but also change the traditional division of roles between consumers and producers. Users not only act as buyers but also as providers of products or services. The consumer ("con-sumer") thus assumes a more active role and also takes on the traditional tasks of the producer ("producer") - he becomes a "prosumer". This harbours and continues to harbour opportunities for sustainable consumption by changing attitudes towards the ownership of goods: Away from the accumulation of products, towards an "auction culture" characterised by temporary ownership and resale. There is potential above all in extending the life and utilisation phase of products by marketing used goods. Additional environmental pollution caused by new purchases can thus be avoided. However, e-commerce by prosumers also means that used products are packaged and shipped several times and that computers are online all day to monitor the outcome of auctions - and therefore also contribute to environmental pollution.

These changes were analysed in a research project conducted by the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment, the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt/Main in cooperation with eBay. The research project therefore set itself the task of developing measures to tap into environmental relief potential and to promote the idea of the resale company as a sustainability strategy. The aim of the project was also to research the online trade in used goods and the associated opportunities for more sustainable consumer behaviour. To this end, a broad-based survey was conducted to investigate buying and selling behaviour, the motivations of users and the environmental impact associated with online trading.

Innovation strategies were developed and implemented experimentally at eBay:

  1. Ecological optimisation of the existing online retail business: concepts that can be implemented were developed and tested experimentally (e.g. options for climate-neutral shipping of products or strategic alliances with transport service providers).
  2. Activation of unutilised potential: Development of communication strategies to tap into accumulated but no longer used consumer goods.
  3. Supporting new auction cultures that promote the increase of longevity and value retention of products as strategies for sustainable consumption While the experimental character of the project is geared towards eBay, the research transfer goes beyond eBay and addresses research, associations and consumer organisations.