eBay Launches Planet-Friendly MarketplaceeBay Launches Planet-Friendly Marketplace

eBay has announced a new e-commerce site for socially responsible products.

The site, unveiled Wednesday, features products that are made from recycled, natural, organic, and animal friendly materials and ingredients. The offerings are from companies that meet certain ethical and environmental standards. Third parties called Trust Providers will verify that the products sold on WorldofGood.com meet those standards, eBay said.

"WorldofGood.com by eBay gives shoppers who care about making a difference access to great products that help people and the planet," Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay Marketplaces, said in a statement. "Socially responsible shopping just got bigger and better," said Norrington.

WorldofGood labels items as "People Positive" and "Eco Positive" and places them into 15 categories, including home and garden, art, jewelry, clothing, and food. The site also offers a "Goodprint" labeling system that tells buyers whether their purchase will empower people economically, conserve energy, or support animal species preservation.

"Regardless of the social causes most important to consumers, they can easily shop for items according to a variety of different attributes, allowing them to customize their shopping impact," Robert Chatwani, general manager of WorldofGood.com, said.

The site also features blogs and discussions. Many of the products are handcrafted and eBay said their sale would help marginalized communities in developing countries. eBay.com will feature the goods on its main site, exposing them to more than 84 million users around the world.

eBay launched the site with World of Good, Inc., a start-up that aims to increase ethical consumption by informing retail partners about ethical supply chains.