Sustainability is no longer optional for eCommerce brands. Consumers increasingly prefer to buy from environmentally responsible companies. Gen Z and Millennials lead this shift, and they check if your actions match your claims.
But sustainability in eCommerce presents genuine challenges. Every shipment generates carbon emissions. Packaging creates waste. Returns compound the environmental cost. How do you address these issues while running a profitable business?
Why Sustainability Tools Matter
The right tools help you move from good intentions to measurable action:
Calculate your impact. Understand the carbon footprint of your operations. You can't reduce what you don't measure.
Offset what you can't eliminate. Tree-planting, carbon credit, and ocean cleanup programs enable you to offset unavoidable emissions.
Communicate credibly. Show customers your sustainability efforts with data and transparency. Avoid greenwashing accusations.
Engage customers. Let shoppers participate in environmental initiatives. Round-up donations, tree planting per order, and similar programs build loyalty.
Build circular models. Trade-in, resale, and rental programs extend product lifecycles and reduce waste.
Types of Sustainability Tools
Different tools address different aspects of sustainable commerce:
Carbon offsetting platforms calculate emissions and fund environmental projects to compensate.
Transparency and storytelling tools communicate your sustainability efforts to customers through widgets, badges, and impact dashboards.
Circular commerce platforms enable resale, trade-in, rental, and refurbishment programs.
Supply chain analysis tools assess the environmental impact of your products from manufacturing through delivery.
What to Consider
- Integration matters. Your sustainability tool should connect seamlessly with your eCommerce platform. Shopify apps make implementation simple.
- Transparency builds trust. Choose tools that provide verification and real impact data, not vague claims.
- Customer engagement drives participation. Programs that involve shoppers in sustainability efforts generate loyalty and differentiation.
- Cost must make business sense. Sustainability tools should deliver value by increasing conversion rates, customer retention, or operational efficiency.
Our Choices for the 3 Best Sustainability Tools for eCommerce
We selected three platforms with different approaches to sustainable commerce. Carma makes tree planting simple through checkout integration. GreenStory provides supply chain analysis and sustainability storytelling. TernEco enables circular retail through trade-in and resale programs.
- Carma
- GreenStory
- TernEco
Carma
Carma connects eCommerce businesses to tree planting and carbon offsetting through simple checkout integration. The UK-based company started in 2022 with a mission to make climate action accessible.
- Tech Stack Type: Carbon offsetting and tree planting platform
- Best for: Start Up / Mid-Sized
- Pricing: See pricing details here
What Makes Carma Great?
Carma removes the complexity from carbon offsetting. Install the Shopify app, configure your settings, and customers can plant trees with their purchases.
The checkout round-up feature lets shoppers add small amounts to their order for environmental impact. Many customers opt in when given an easy option at checkout.
You control the parameters: plant a tree per order, per specific product, or at set spending thresholds. Cap your monthly commitment if needed.
The Impact Dashboard tracks your contribution in real-time. See trees planted, carbon offset, and the projects your business supports. Use this data in your marketing.
Beyond offsetting, Carma plants trees in the UK using veteran teams. The social impact adds another dimension to your sustainability story. Tree planting projects also operate globally through their Veritree partnership.
Carma achieved B Corp certification, adding third-party validation to their claims.
The cost structure stays simple: trees cost approximately £0.27 each, billed monthly through Shopify. No hidden platform fees.
AI Summary of Customer Reviews of Carma
Carma holds 5 stars on Trustpilot with 50 reviews. Users consistently praise the ease of implementation and responsive customer service. Small business owners appreciate the Shopify integration that automates fulfillment.
Reviewers highlight the dashboard's transparency and the ability to share progress with customers. The combination of environmental impact and veteran employment resonates with socially conscious brands. One reviewer noted: "As a small business owner, their integrated Shopify app means I don't have to worry about fulfilling my commitment either."
The limited number of reviews suggests a newer player in the market, though feedback remains overwhelmingly positive. Some users wish for expanded offsetting options beyond tree planting.
GreenStory
GreenStory transforms sustainability data into compelling customer-facing stories. The platform analyzes your supply chain and helps you communicate your product-level environmental impact.
- Tech Stack Type: Sustainability analysis and storytelling platform
- Best for: Mid-Sized / Enterprise
- Pricing: See pricing details here
What Makes GreenStory Great?
Most sustainability tools focus on offsetting. GreenStory focuses on understanding and communicating your actual environmental footprint.
The platform uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to calculate the environmental impact of each product you sell. This goes beyond carbon to include water usage, waste reduction, and other factors.
Product-level data powers customer-facing widgets. Shoppers see the specific environmental impact of items they're considering. This transparency builds trust.
The supply chain analysis identifies opportunities for improvement. Where can you reduce packaging? Which suppliers have better sustainability practices? Data drives decisions.
GreenStory integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento. Widgets display on product pages without developer involvement.
The platform helps you avoid greenwashing by grounding claims in data. Instead of vague sustainability language, you communicate specific, verifiable impacts.
The limitation: GreenStory requires supply chain data to work effectively. Brands that don't know their manufacturing processes won't get full value. The focus on analysis over offsetting may require additional tools for carbon compensation.
AI Summary of Customer Reviews of GreenStory
GreenStory appears in multiple eCommerce sustainability tool roundups with positive assessments. Reviewers praise the supply chain analysis capabilities and the customizable widgets that communicate impact to customers.
Industry reviews note that the platform makes sustainability data accessible without requiring technical expertise. The LCA methodology provides credibility that simpler offsetting claims lack.
Users appreciate that GreenStory helps them "show off green accolades" while identifying operational improvements. One review highlighted: "Not only do they help you show off your green accolades, but they also help you make them better."
Limited public review data suggests the platform serves a smaller, enterprise-focused customer base. Pricing transparency appears limited, requiring direct contact for quotes.
TernEco
TernEco enables circular retail through trade-in, resale, and reuse programs. The platform helps eCommerce brands capture value from products after the initial sale.
- Tech Stack Type: Circular commerce platform
- Best for: Mid-Sized / Enterprise
- Pricing: See pricing details here
What Makes TernEco Great?
Most products sold online have a useful life remaining when customers finish with them. TernEco helps you capture that value rather than lose customers to third-party resale platforms.
The platform powers branded trade-in programs. Customers exchange used products for store credit, driving repeat purchases while you recover inventory.
Resale functionality lets you sell returned, refurbished, or pre-owned items alongside new products. This creates a new revenue stream while reducing waste.
TernEco handles operational complexity across customer-facing trade-in flows, valuation algorithms, logistics coordination, and resale inventory management.
The model addresses a real sustainability challenge. Many returned products get destroyed rather than resold because processing costs exceed recovery value. TernEco makes circular commerce economically viable.
Product categories served include fashion, eyewear, and electronics. The platform works best for items with meaningful secondhand value.
Circular programs generate customer loyalty. Shoppers are satisfied with sustainable disposal options. Trade-in credits drive future purchases of your brand over competitors.
The limitation: TernEco requires operational commitment beyond installing an app. You need processes for receiving, evaluating, and processing trade-in items. Not suitable for low-value or perishable products.
AI Summary of Customer Reviews of TernEco
TernEco maintains an active presence on LinkedIn and industry platforms with positive mentions from circular retail experts. The platform appears in eCommerce technology directories alongside other resale solutions.
Company communications highlight 2077+ processed trade-ins and 9999 units of preowned stock in recent reporting. Client base spans fashion to cameras across four global markets.
Reviews and case studies emphasize the revenue opportunity of circular retail. The platform's focus on branded programs (rather than third-party marketplaces) resonates with brands protecting their customer relationships.
Limited public review data reflects the enterprise focus and newer market position. Direct customer testimonials would strengthen the evaluation, though industry reception appears positive.
Find Your Perfect Sustainability Tool
These are just our picks from hundreds of tech options out there. You can find lots more in our tech directory.
Quick decision guide:
- Quick carbon offsetting: Start with Carma. Simple checkout integration, transparent pricing, and proven tree planting programs. Works immediately without supply chain analysis.
- Understanding and communicating impact: GreenStory provides the data and widgets to tell your sustainability story credibly. Best for brands ready to dig into their supply chain.
- Building circular programs: TernEco enables trade-in and resale at scale. Suitable for brands with products that retain secondhand value and a willingness to manage circular operations.
Many brands combine approaches: offset emissions with one tool while communicating impact with another. Start where you can make immediate progress.
Looking for a deal? Check our Deals section, as there are often sustainability tool offers available.
Plus, these blogs will offer you more advice on making the right choice:
Want to see your tech here? Get in touch with us.
