EBay Inc

Lobbying Transparency and Governance

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Direct Lobbying Transparency
Overall Assessment Comment Score
Strong eBay provides a solid level of transparency around its climate-policy lobbying. It names two identifiable pieces of legislation it has engaged on—the landmark California AB32 cap-and-trade law (including efforts "to encourage support for extending AB32’s targets to 2030") and the U.S. Federal Inflation Reduction Act—while describing its broader advocacy through coalitions such as BICEP, REBA and the We Mean Business coalition. The company is open about how it lobbies: it participates in industry coalitions, takes part in events like the Ceres-led LEAD on Climate day, mobilises its Small Business Ambassador Network for “letter-writing campaigns,” and undertakes direct outreach, stating that "eBay reached out to individual lawmakers" and met with “members on both sides of the House and Senate” to discuss carbon pricing and clean-energy solutions. eBay also articulates clear policy outcomes it seeks, backing the extension of AB32 to secure deeper emissions cuts, supporting national legislation that will “reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050” and put the country on a net-zero trajectory, and advocating for carbon-pricing and clean-energy incentives. Together, these disclosures give a strong picture of what the company is lobbying for, how it does so, and the legislative targets it pursues. 3
Lobbying Governance
Overall Assessment Comment Score
Moderate eBay outlines a process whereby "regular meetings are held regularly between the Impact and Government Relations teams, along with other internal stakeholders from Global Communications, Finance, and Operations," with agendas that include "discussion of how these do or do not align with our corporate climate and energy strategy" and identification of opportunities to engage external stakeholders. The Board of Directors’ Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee "has the ultimate responsibility for sustainability and ESG issues, which is inclusive of climate-related issues," receiving climate-related updates at least quarterly. eBay also affirms "Yes" to the question "Does your organization have a public commitment or position statement to conduct your engagement activities in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement?" This indicates some structured alignment of direct policy engagement to its climate strategy. However, we found no evidence of a formal policy that outlines specific oversight or sign-off on lobbying positions, no description of how indirect lobbying through trade associations is monitored or managed, and no named individual or committee explicitly tasked with overseeing the alignment of lobbying with climate objectives. Therefore, while eBay demonstrates a coordinated internal process and high-level board oversight for climate matters, the governance framework for its lobbying activities lacks clear accountability mechanisms and detailed review procedures. 2