The Easiest Way to Make Your Company Eco-Friendly: Choosing Ecosia

Source: Ecosia — Browser Page, https://www.ecosia.org/browser

Switching to Ecosia: The Easiest Way to Make Your Company Eco-Friendly

In the world of business, growth and destruction are often intertwined. Regardless of the industry, whether it be fast fashion, cryptocurrency, or big tech, many companies maximize profits at the expense of the planet.

Take Bitcoin: its impressive rise has come with an environmental cost — over 500 billion gallons of water are used annually to cool mining servers. And fast fashion? It contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

But what if business success didn’t have to come at the planet’s expense?

Meet Ecosia: The Search Engine That Plants Trees

Ecosia is a search engine like Google — but with a revolutionary twist. Instead of hoarding profits, the not-for-profit uses 80% of its earnings to fight climate change, primarily through global tree-planting efforts.

So, when you ask questions like:

• “What are the best PM-related books?”
• “Directions to the TCDSB headquarters”
• “How do I calculate ROI?”

You’re doing more than just searching — you’re reforesting the planet.

Tiny Habit, Massive Impact

We often don’t think twice about how often we search online. But let’s do some quick math.

• 3 searches/day = ~25 trees/year
• 30 searches/day = ~250 trees/year

Multiply that by every staff member in your organization, and you’ve grown a forest just by doing what you’re already doing.

Since its founding, Ecosia has planted over 219 million trees in high-impact areas: biodiversity hotspots, migratory bird paths, and regions suffering from deforestation.

[embed]See Ecosia’s Climate Impacts!

Trees, Not Data: A More Ethical Internet

Let’s talk privacy.

Ecosia doesn’t sell your data. It doesn’t create personal profiles without your consent. It anonymizes searches after 7 days and shows fewer ads than Google.

And while Google’s servers consume more power than the entire country of Sri Lanka (yes, thats true), Ecosia built its own solar plants to become 200% renewable (carbon-negative).

Is Ecosia a Scam?

No. It sounds to good to be true, yet it is. In 2014, Ecosia became the first certified B Corporation in Germany, meaning that they met high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency.

Further, in 2018, Ecosia gave away its shares to the Purpose Foundation, assuring that it can never be sold and that no one can profit from the company.

They are incredibly transparent about their business operations and publish their monthly financial reports online to the public. See below.

Source: Ecosia — Budget Report

Implementation: Easier Than You Think

You might be wondering: “How do we actually switch to Ecosia?”

Here’s the good news: Ecosia offers step-by-step guides for IT teams using:

• Google Workspace
• Windows Group Policy
• Microsoft Intune

Still confused and need help? Not a problem. Ecosia’s support team will even book a call or respond to emails for free.

Link to guide: Ecosia Technical Guides for IT

Once the switch is live, Ecosia can even track total searches and send you a report showing how many trees you’ve planted. That’s free good press for your company!!!

Case Studies: Who’s Already Doing It?

E.ON, one of Europe’s largest energy providers began their switch to Ecosia, not from a executive directive, but rather, from a simple suggestion from employees.

In Germany, a few environmentally conscious E.ON employees approached the sustainability team with a compelling idea: “Why not make Ecosia our company’s default search engine?” It was low-effort, high-impact — and a change that aligned perfectly with E.ON’s climate goals.

Once the idea gained internal support, E.ON’s IT department stepped in to validate Ecosia from a technical standpoint. They verified Ecosia’s reliable, high-quality search results, confirmed it was user-friendly, and evaluated data protection and cybersecurity standards.

Once satisfied, the IT team added Ecosia as a default option in both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. They also created an internal guide for employees who wished to make the switch manually, ensuring anyone could participate with minimal friction.

To raise awareness, E.ON’s internal communications team launched a campaign highlighting Ecosia’s environmental impact. Through emails, internet posts, and presentations, they emphasized the simplicity and enviornmental power.

“It’s been a great example of validating and scaling an idea from colleagues which has had tangible environmental benefits. Employees at all levels across the company have shared how they appreciate being made aware of simple steps they can take to help the planet.” — Philipp Meyer, Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Project Manager, E.ON

10 months after the switch, the 9400 E.ON employees using Ecosia have funded over 116,000 trees worldwide.

E.ON’s experience demonstrates how easy it is for large organizations to make a meaningful climate contribution through minor IT changes.

And best of all? It didn’t require massive budgets, policy overhauls, or complex behavior change — just the will to try something different.

To help organizations understand their potential environmental contribution, Ecosia provides a free **Impact Calculator** designed specifically for workplaces.

The Future of Ecosia

Currently, Ecosia’s search results and ads come from Microsoft Bing and Google, to ensure there is no difference in search quality.

However, Ecosia recently partnered with French search engine Qwant to form a new venture: the European Search Perspective (EUSP). Their goal? To reduce reliance on Bing and Google, build their own AI-powered infrastructure, and improve search result localization — especially in non-English speaking regions.

Qwant CEO Olivier Abecassis will lead the new company, whilst Ecosia will provide financial support and expertise.

“User experience will not be compromised,” says Ecosia founder Christian Kroll, referring to the European Search Project (EUSP), which aims to reach competitive speeds through rigorous testing and optimization.

The new system will first launch in France by early 2025, followed by Germany later in the year, focusing initially on European languages such as Italian, Spanish, Polish, and more. A global expansion — potentially targeting regions with weaker Google performance like Ethiopia — may follow once the platform proves successful in Europe.

Canada and the United States will continue using Google and Bing for now, with no timeline announced for switching to the new infrastructure outside of Europe. And yes — they’ve pledged full transparency on how they’ll fund it (with over €15 million currently in reserves).

Why It Matters for Your Organization

Switching to Ecosia isn’t just an eco-friendly option — it’s one of the easiest sustainability wins you can make. It’s:

• Cost-free
• Impactful
• Privacy-conscious
• Easy to implement
• Great for your public image

In fact, for companies with over 1,000 employees, Ecosia offers monthly reports that track the total number of searches made and estimate how many trees have been planted as a result. This provides excellent publicity and motivation for employees by showing how simple actions can make a real difference for the planet.

Screenshot retrieved from Ecosia Companies.

So, why continue using a search engine that contributes to destruction when you could use one that gives back?

Final Thoughts: Make Every Click Count

Change isn’t always easy. People are comfortable with Google and thats all they know. But Ecosia is user-friendly, fast, and mission-driven. Pilot programs and clear communication can help smooth the transition.

Let’s use technology not just to grow companies — but also to grow forests.

Interested in learning more? See Ecosia for Companies.