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API & Automation Overview

Learn what Ecologi’s API does, the integration options available, and which is best for your business.

API & Automation Overview


What is an API? 

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a way for two different systems to communicate automatically.

Think of it like a digital waiter: you place your order, it passes the request to the kitchen (another system), and then brings back the result.

In Ecologi’s case, our API lets your systems trigger climate action - for example, planting a tree - without you needing to log in to your Ecologi account and do it manually.

Your Automation Options

At Ecologi, there are three ways to automate climate action:

1. Shopify App

  • Add tree planting and carbon removals to your Shopify store with no coding.

  • Impact is billed through Shopify directly and displayed on your Ecologi profile/account.

  • Choose from multiple funding triggers: per product sold, per order, per dollar/pound spent, percentage of order value, or Shopify Flow workflows.

  • Get started: Install our Shopify App.

2. Zapier

  • Connect Ecologi with thousands of other apps (e.g. WooCommerce, CRMs, invoicing tools) - no coding needed.

  • Versatile triggers provided by the Zapier platform, i.e. plant a tree when an invoice is paid, or when a new CRM record is created.

  • Get started: Ecologi integrations on Zapier.

3. Custom API Integration (developer required)

  • Full control and flexibility using our public API.

  • Fund four impact types: tree planting, carbon avoidance, carbon removals, and habitat restoration.

  • Requires developer knowledge/capacity to set up and maintain.

  • Ideal for fully bespoke workflows.

  • Get started: Read our public API docs

Which automated solution is best for me?

Your choice depends on:

  • Your technical skill level or developer access

  • The type of impact you want to fund

  • Whether you sell on Shopify or another platform

The table below breaks down the best option for each scenario, by goal:

Your goal Best option Coding required?
Fund trees or carbon removals for every purchase in a Shopify store           Shopify App          No
Plant a tree for every sale in another e-commerce platform (e.g. WooCommerce)               Zapier          No
Fund trees, carbon avoidance, carbon removals, or habitat restoration with full customisation          Custom API         Yes
Pay and fund a fixed amount every month      Ecologi Subscription          No
 

Setting up

For all automation options, you’ll need:

  • An Ecologi account - this is where any planting/impact your API triggers will be visually displayed.

  • An API key - once you've created your account, you'll be able to generate API keys here.

Support boundaries

We can help with:

  • Questions about your Ecologi account

  • Guidance on generating your API key

  • Issues with our API when used correctly

We can’t help with:

  • Writing or editing code

  • Troubleshooting Shopify, Zapier, or other third-party systems

  • Billing questions for third-party platforms

If you’re not confident in setting up an automation yourself, we recommend seeking help from a developer or the third-party platform’s support team.

FAQ

I want to plant a tree for every purchase/order etc.

  • Shopify store → Set your trigger (per order, per product sold, based on basket spend, or percentage of order value) to fund trees or carbon removals. You can choose to fund trees only, carbon removals only, or both. Every time your trigger occurs in Shopify, the app will send the order data to Ecologi and your chosen impact will be funded automatically.

  • Non-Shopify store → Use Zapier. Set up a trigger in your chosen e-commerce platform (e.g. “New Paid Order” in WooCommerce) to plant one tree per trigger. Zapier will send that event to Ecologi, which will plant the tree.

  • Custom API → You can build this however you like. A developer can set up your system to send an API request to Ecologi whenever a purchase happens, using your own preferred logic and triggers.

I have no technical/coding resource, and don't want to use Shopify/Zapier
As an alternative to automated planting, customers can instead make manual, bulk tree purchases at any time via the Impact Shop, and use the “funded by” feature to label your tile (e.g. “April Orders”) for sharing with multiple customers at a time. Please note that for our general 'Tree planting around the world' product, there is currently a minimum purchase of 10 trees at any one time.

Is it possible to choose the specific country/project I fund via my API integration?
Not at this time. Impact funded through our API integrations is automatically allocated to nominated projects from our global portfolio of verified climate and nature projects. You can view all our projects on the Ecologi Projects page.

Can you build a custom API for me?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer guidance or troubleshooting on creating custom builds, beyond the provision of our public API docs - you’ll typically need a developer or technical partner to implement it.

What if I get stuck?

I've set up my profile/integration - what does the 'Pending' label on some of my impact tile mean?

If you use Ecologi’s API to fund climate action, any impact created during the month will show as “Pending” until payment for that month has been processed.

This means:

  • The impact has been recorded by our system and is already included in your impact totals.

  • You can see how much of that total is pending vs paid, by opening the impact total tabs at the top of your profile page.

  • The “Pending” impact is not yet marked as paid on your profile, reports, or dashboards.

  • Once your payment is processed (usually at the start of the following month), the pending impact will be confirmed and the “Pending” label will be removed.

  • All the project details on the tile will remain visible, so you can still share them with your customers before payment is complete.

This change ensures we only confirm impact once it’s been paid for, while still giving you full visibility of everything you’ve funded via the API.


Screenshot 2024-11-12 at 10.00.53


Can I host my Ecologi forest on my website?
You can’t currently host your Ecologi forest directly on a third-party website or platform. The best way to showcase your impact is by sharing a link to your Ecologi profile, where your forest and contributions are displayed, or by utilising the assets available in our Business toolkit.

Can I add a purchase order (PO) number to my invoices? (Custom API only)
Yes, if you're using the Custom API, you can configure a purchase order (PO) number to appear on all your invoices. This is useful for internal tracking or procurement processes.

Note: This feature is only available for Custom API users. Shopify and Zapier invoicing does not support custom PO numbers.

To add a PO number:

  1. Log in to your Ecologi account
  2. Go to Settings → API
  3. Enter your PO number in the "Purchase Order Number" field
  4. Save your changes

Your PO number will automatically appear on all future invoices for Custom API purchases.