Used goods' deals curb emission

OLX explained how purchases of second-hand products have lowered carbon emissions

In a bid to spread the message of environment protection, online trading platform OLX explained how purchases of second-hand products, ranging from mobile phones to cars, have lowered carbon emissions.

In a report prepared by OLX and the Centre for Environment Education, transactions on OLX India saved 6.6 million tonnes (mt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2016-17, equivalent to half of Delhi’s transport sector’s annual carbon footprint. It is also equivalent to the CO2 emissions that 10.5 million teak trees, which are chopped for premium wood, absorb in their lifetime, and equal to emissions curbed by the Delhi Metro in 12.5 years.

The figure increases with the growing number of transactions on the consumer-to-consumer marketplace. In 2014-15, 5,357,175 transactions on OLX curbed 2.2 mt of CO2 emissions. In 2016-17, the number of transactions increased to 10 million, thus saved 6.6 mt of emissions.

Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere due to the activities of a particular individual, organisation, or community.

Amarjit Singh Batra, chief executive officer of OLX India, said there was also a growing trend of people buying used products once they have sold their goods on OLX. “This is doubly beneficial for the environment. Such a trend is more popular in case of items like cars, mobile phones, etc.”

Every time one sells a product on OLX, the life of the product gets extended. Every time one buys a used product, one less item gets produced, lowering CO2 emissions.

To calculate carbon emission, all stages in the life-cycle of a product — from raw material procurement till it reaches a user — were taken into account for 11 product categories on OLX. The categories covered include car, mobile, refrigerator, television, computer, laptop, sofa, tablet, camera, books and clothes, among others. Other categories such as baby products, sports equipment, musical instruments, fashion accessories, furniture, real estate and jobs were not included.