Etsy is expanding its efforts to decarbonize freight by deploying Class 8 battery-electric trucks in Texas, as the online marketplace works toward its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040.
Sam Brundrett, environmental impact lead at Etsy, told Supply Chain Dive that the company is participating in a major initiative focused on accelerating the deployment of heavy-duty zero-emission trucks in the state.
The project is being carried out in partnership with the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) and Smart Freight Centre. Initially announced in January, the pilot brings together several major shippers and logistics stakeholders, including Amazon, eBay, Green Worldwide Shipping and Meta. Google has also recently joined the initiative. With Google’s participation, the coalition now counts 63 members and is expected to launch in early 2027.
Shipping represents Etsy’s largest emissions source
For Etsy, freight is a particularly important part of its environmental strategy. The marketplace facilitates millions of shipments every year, making transportation its largest source of emissions.
“As a marketplace, we facilitate millions of shipments each year. Shipping is our largest source of emissions at over 60%! Road freight accounts for most of our shipping footprint,” Brundrett said in an email.
The company has set an additional target of reducing its Scope 3 emissions per dollar of gross profit by 52% from its 2020 baseline by 2030.
Through GMA’s pilot procurement program, participating companies such as Etsy pay for the right to claim Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs). Clayton Gerber, senior program manager at GMA, explained that these certificates can be included in companies’ greenhouse gas reporting.
The mechanism is designed to address one of the major challenges facing electric trucking: the higher cost of operating electric vehicles compared with conventional diesel trucks.
“The certificates help cover the additional cost of operating electric trucks compared with diesel trucks,” Brundrett said.
A book-and-claim model for zero-emission trucking
The EACs are financed by shippers and other companies whose value chains include transportation activity. Rather than requiring the buyer’s own freight to travel on a particular electric truck or route, the certificates allow companies to financially support the deployment of zero-emission trucking.
According to Gerber, the certificates are generated when a carrier purchases battery-electric trucks, secures access to charging infrastructure and, where necessary, enters into renewable energy contracts to support zero-emission operations.
Nevoya has been selected as the carrier for the current pilot. The company plans to deploy new electric trucks late this year and into early 2027.
Nevoya is also working with Greenlane Infrastructure, a joint venture focused on expanding public fast-charging networks. The partnership is helping establish the necessary charging infrastructure while the carrier awaits delivery of the trucks. A second procurement phase is scheduled to begin in 2027.
Why Houston-Dallas?
The initial GMA pilot is centered on the Houston-Dallas corridor, a route chosen because of the substantial freight volumes moving in both directions between the two cities.
Several other factors made Texas attractive for the project. Electricity costs are relatively low, while permitting and access to power at charging sites are considered comparatively straightforward.
The total Houston-Dallas round trip also falls within the expected battery range of the Tesla Semi, the electric truck selected for the project.
Texas is also an important market for Etsy, with millions of shipments moving through the state each year, according to Brundrett.
“[E]lectrifying freight there can both reduce our emissions in a geography where we have significant freight and reduce local air pollution for communities where many Etsy buyers and sellers live and work,” he added.
Etsy’s initial agreement with GMA runs for four years. The commitment is not linked to specific freight volumes from Etsy or to individual shipments. Instead, the marketplace has committed to a defined volume of zero-emission trucking certificates, measured in tonne-kilometers.
Supporting electric freight without owning trucks
Etsy does not operate its own truck fleet. The book-and-claim approach therefore provides a way for the company to contribute to freight decarbonization without requiring its own shipments to be transported by specific electric vehicles.
The model is also intended to help generate additional demand for zero-emission freight at a time when access to such services remains limited.
The challenge is significant. Heavy-duty trucks represent around 9% of the U.S. truck fleet but account for approximately half of truck emissions. At the same time, zero-emission Class 8 trucks represent less than 1% of new truck sales in the United States, according to Brundrett.
Cost and infrastructure remain among the main obstacles to wider adoption. Electric trucks are still more expensive, while charging infrastructure remains limited.
Operating requirements also present challenges. Hours-of-service regulations can make electric trucking more difficult to manage, particularly because recharging a battery-electric truck can take around 45 minutes.
For Etsy and the other companies participating in the Texas initiative, supporting zero-emission trucking through certificate-based procurement offers a way to help overcome some of these barriers while the wider market for electric heavy-duty freight continues to develop.
