Ecosia, known for its tree-planting search engine, launched its ‘eco-friendly’ web browser on Earth Day.
ADVERTISEMENTGreen search engine Ecosia announced on Monday that it was launching its first “eco-friendly” web browser.
Its aim is to produce clean energy with users’ browsing activity.
In a statement released by the company, Ecosia promised a loading speed “up to three times faster than most mainstream browsers” and a built-in adblocker to reduce energy consumption.
Until now, Ecosia was only a search engine, but the company announced that it’ll work with partner shops and a system of sponsored links to expand its sustainable business model.
Funded in 2009, Ecosia was created by German entrepreneur Christian Kroll and is a not-for-profit company.
The company has long emphasised the reinvestment of its profits for the upkeep of the planet with reforestation projects.
“Launching a browser felt like the natural next step for Ecosia. By expanding our offerings, Ecosia can now offer our community a range of planet-friendly products and user-friendly ways to take shared climate action together, every day,” Kroll said in the statement.
The software can be downloaded for Windows and Mac on desktops but also as a mobile app for iOS and Android.
“We welcome recent moves like the DMA, but want to give users an even greater opportunity to align their digital choices with their values. Our browser is also another way for them to become more independent from Big Tech,” he added.
In February, the company generated over €2,700,000 in revenues. Subtracting the operating costs, taxes and ads, Ecosia said it had invested 57 per cent of its profits to plant over 184,000 trees.
Currently, Google is the market’s overwhelming leader with over 90 per cent of the people using its search engine and over 6 users out of 10 navigating on its web browser Chrome.
Safari - the web browser developed by Apple - is the second most used.
The company’s browser integrates AI features developed in 2023 such as a chatbot (powered by OpenAI) and an enhanced search function.
