An Ebay employee enters in her office, in July 2008 at Ebay-France headquarters in Paris. Online giant eBay announced Wednesday it was launching an ethically sourced marketplace selling "products that have a positive impact on people and the planet."

Online giant eBay announced Wednesday it was launching an ethically sourced marketplace selling "products that have a positive impact on people and the planet."

The website, called WorldofGood.com, features items including clothing, jewelry, coffee, tea and pottery from sellers verified by various third parties called trust providers "to meet a core set of ethical and environmental standards," according to the California-based auction and retail group.

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

Shoppers can purchase "fair trade" coffee, accessories and home decor items made from recycled materials, organic clothing and "animal-friendly" beauty products on the site. Some products are made by artisans in marginalized communities in developing nations, according to eBay.

"We created the WorldofGood.com marketplace to enable shoppers to purchase socially responsible products with confidence," said Robert Chatwani, general manager of WorldofGood.com by eBay.

"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."

The project is a collaboration of eBay and World of Good, which includes a nonprofit development organization along with a corporate arm called World of Good Inc.

© 2008 AFP