Mercari and The University of Tokyo Calculate the Contribution of Mercari Transactions to Avoid Greenhouse Gases

Mercari, Inc. (“Mercari”) and The University of Tokyo’s Research Institute for an Inclusive Society through Engineering (RIISE) announce the results of the calculated contribution for avoiding (reduction contribution) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated through transactions on the Mercari marketplace app.

*The images in this press release are only available in Japanese

At Mercari, where we aim to create a circular economy that makes the most of the world’s finite resources, we have implemented a variety of initiatives through our business and corporate activities. As one such activity, Mercari and The University of Tokyo RIISE’s collaborative research division “Value Exchange Engineering” worked together to calculate¹the greenhouse gas reduction contribution of Mercari transactions.

Value Exchange Engineering is a research department established in 2019 between The University of Tokyo RIISE and Mercari’s research and development organization Mercari R4D, aiming to create a world where anyone can exchange value fairly and smoothly. This initiative is part of a larger Value Exchange Engineering research project called “Usage of Product and Service Systems for Sustainable Consumption and Production: Consumption Value of Used Products” (Researcher: Moon Dami).

*Visit the Mercari R4D website for more details：https://r4d.mercari.com/en/

Greenhouse gas reduction contribution through Mercari transactions

According to the results² of calculating the reduction contribution across five categories, researchers discovered that through Mercari transactions in both Japan and the US, we avoided approximately 530,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The categories examined were “Apparel” (Women’s Fashion, Men’s Fashion, and Babies & Kids); “Sneakers” (Women’s Fashion, Men’s Fashion, and Kids); “Electronics” (Computers, Smartphones, and Tablets); “Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, and Magazines;” and “CDs, DVDs, and BDs (Blu-ray Discs)”³.This is equivalent to approximately 220 covered baseball stadiums.⁴

In a breakdown by category, annual transactions on Mercari for “Apparel” made the greatest contribution, avoiding 430,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. On a per-unit basis, the reduction contribution resulting from a single apparel category transaction avoided the equivalent of approximately 9.3 kg of greenhouse gases.

Breakdown of greenhouse gas reduction contributions through Mercari transactions by category

• Apparel: 426,952 tons (Japan: 360,472 tons; US: 66,481 tons)
• Sneakers: 50,902 tons (Japan: 40,283 tons; US: 10,619 tons)
• Electronics (Computers, Smartphones, and Tablets): 32,580 tons (Japan: 23,166 tons; US: 9,415 tons)
• Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, and Magazines: 16,418 tons (Japan: 15,985 tons; US: 433 tons)
• CDs, DVDs, and BDs: 3,007 tons (Japan: 2,915 tons; US: 92 tons)

Breakdown of contributions to avoiding greenhouse gases (per transaction) through Mercari transactions by category

• Apparel: Approx. 9.3 kg
• Sneakers: Approx. 14.9 kg
• Electronics (Computers, Smartphones, and Tablets): Approx. 27 kg
• Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, and Magazines: Approx. 0.7 kg
• CDs, DVDs, and BDs: Approx. 0.3 kg

Note that researchers calculated greenhouse gas reduction contributions under the assumption that the items bought and sold for each category were used instead of new products, thereby avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. Taking into account product lifecycle, such as item production, distribution, usage, and disposal, researchers estimated the contributions to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions by calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated in the shipping of items between Mercari users as well as based on the frequency of use of Mercari and the product use life (in years) calculated from the results of a Mercari user survey.^{5 6}

Weight of apparel waste avoided thanks to its listing on Mercari (Japan only)

In Japan alone, users avoided approximately 43,000 tons of apparel waste (by weight) by listing items they no longer needed on Mercari. This is equivalent to approximately 9% of the total 480,000 tons of apparel thrown away annually in Japan.⁷ By buying and selling no-longer-used apparel on Mercari instead of throwing it away, users can reduce the burden on the environment and move closer to creating a circular economy.

Through the various partnerships between Mercari and The University of Tokyo RIISE, we are aiming to create a circular economy that makes the most of the world’s finite resources.