Sustainable website design: What is it, why does it matter and how to achieve it

All businesses are becoming ever more conscious of the importance of being sustainable. Whether it’s driven by genuine environmental awareness or concern, or the knowledge that they can only win new clients if their sustainability credentials are in order, it’s made its way to the top of the business agenda

Awareness of the environmental impact of websites, though, has lagged and is only now starting to be tackled as part of businesses sustainability objectives.

The issue starts with this fact: The internet currently produces approximately 3.7% of global carbon emissions*, which are rising as we continue to consume more data. This is not far off the carbon emissions of the aviation industry.

In a world increasingly dependent on the internet, the carbon footprint of websites is a growing concern. As the global digital landscape expands, so too does the demand for energy. Sustainable web design aims to reduce the impact of websites by making them more energy-efficient, reducing data transfer, and using green hosting solutions.

Why is sustainable web design important?

The internet is a massive energy consumer. Each web page load, data transfer, and interaction requires electricity, primarily powered by fossil fuels. According to estimates, the internet’s carbon footprint rivals that of the aviation industry, contributing significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Websites, especially those with heavy media content, require large data centres to run, and these data centres use vast amounts of electricity to function and stay cool.

Sustainable web design offers a way to counteract this trend by ensuring that websites are built to consume less energy and have a lower environmental impact. By making design choices that reduce data usage, optimise performance, and implement eco-friendly hosting solutions, businesses and individuals can make their online presence more sustainable. Moreover, it aligns with broader corporate sustainability goals, enhancing a company's reputation and social responsibility credentials.

Websites with millions of visitors use more energy: every time a website is loaded or interacted with, data is transferred between servers, data centres, networks, and the user's device. More views mean more data transfer and processing, which increases energy consumption. This makes the issue more important and urgent for those websites to address.

Challenges of sustainable web design

While the benefits of sustainable web design are clear, there are several challenges to widespread adoption.

Performance vs. Aesthetics:

Modern websites often rely on rich visuals, animations, video and dynamic content to attract and engage users. Brands use this rich content to differentiate and convert customers.

These elements, however, require significant resources to load and display, contributing to higher energy use. Striking a balance between aesthetic appeal and performance is a constant challenge for designers and also for website owners, who ultimately need to ensure their site attracts, entertains, impresses and holds the attention of site users, and for it to continue to be a productive sales and marketing tool.

Lack of Awareness:

Many businesses are unaware of the environmental impact of their digital presence. This lack of awareness translates into limited demand for sustainable web design, as companies prioritise design trends and user experience over eco-friendliness. Their immediate priority is the performance and aesthetic of their site and whilst sustainability is often a business goal, it’s an afterthought when it comes to their website.

Technical complexity:

Implementing sustainable design often requires a deep understanding of both front-end and back-end optimisation. This includes reducing image sizes, minimising code, and using efficient data caching strategies, which can be technically challenging and time-consuming. Some of these considerations tie in with SEO best practice, but not all.

For many smaller businesses, who may be working with one-man-band or small website designers and developers, the knowledge and awareness of sustainable design and builds may not be there.

Costs:

While green hosting solutions and optimisation techniques are becoming more accessible, they can still be more expensive or require additional resources upfront. Smaller companies with tight budgets are deterred by the perceived costs of sustainable design, even if the long-term savings on energy use may offset initial expenses.

What is realistic to achieve now?

While achieving 100% sustainable web design may be out of reach for many businesses, there are many actionable steps that can be implemented now.

Optimise images and media: Reducing the size of images and media files can significantly lower the amount of data transferred when a website loads. Simple optimisations like compressing images without sacrificing quality can make a substantial difference.

Choose green hosting providers: Many web hosting providers now offer green hosting options, which use renewable energy to power their data centres. Switching to such a provider is a relatively simple way to reduce the environmental footprint of a website. Even this is easier said than done as most hosting providers tend to display sustainability conviction and goals but it’s harder to evaluate their actual impact.

Key facts that can help to assess how ‘green’ providers include: the efficiency of the datacentres and infrastructure - such as the cooling system; the efficiency of the servers themselves; Data centre efficiency (Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating), carbon intensity (how much carbon is emitted by each unit of electricity produced); and the source of electricity (are they using renewable energy, such as solar or wind, or purchasing renewable energy credits) as well as active carbon mitigation efforts (stats should demonstrate this).

You can also check for sustainability policy (if the provider has a policy that includes measurable commitments to energy efficiency, green energy use, and electronic waste), as well as eco credentials and awards, which you’d expect to find displayed on their website

Efficient coding: By minimising JavaScript and CSS, reducing unnecessary code, and using server-side caching, websites can improve load times and reduce energy consumption. This may mean avoiding the use of page builders and certain plugins which can generate excessive code, unlike a bespoke build. Page builders like Elementor and Divi have already introduced features to help reduce the amount of unused CSS they generate, which also helps page load times. The key is to work with a partner who knows and understands these considerations. (Hello!)

The pressure is on…

While all websites can benefit from sustainability practices, there are certain sectors where sustainable web design is particularly crucial.

Any business with a high-traffic e-commerce website knows that it consumes significant energy due to large volumes of data transfers, such as loading product images and handling transactions. Sustainable practices can reduce this energy use whilst also ensuring faster load times, enhancing user experience.

As you’d imagine, media and streaming sites –any site that hosts large video or audio files - require more bandwidth and energy. By adopting sustainable practices, such as offering lower-quality streaming options or reducing autoplay, these sites can mitigate their environmental impact.

But the pressure is also on for high profile and major corporates and institutions who are under the spotlight for their sustainable practices. Ensuring their websites reflect these values is important for branding and credibility, and a sustainable website is often seen as a sign of a company’s commitment to its environmental goals.

As a website provider ourselves, designing and building websites for clients in many sectors, and of varying sizes, we are always looking to create websites that find that perfect balance between sustainability, performance and aesthetics. We’re continuing to explore new and better ways to create sites with minimised carbon impact – it's a journey of discovery and compromise, and we’re definitely finding our way.

Useful resources / further reading

Website Carbon Calculator

Website: websitecarbon.com
An online tool that estimates the carbon emissions of any website. It provides insights into how much CO2 is produced per page view and offers tips on reducing emissions.

"Lean ICT – Towards Digital Sobriety" by The Shift Project

Website: theshiftproject.org
A comprehensive report analysing the environmental impact of digital technologies, including websites. It offers statistics on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Statistics highlighting the carbon impact of websites

Global carbon footprint of the internet
The internet is estimated to be responsible for about 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure comparable to that of the airline industry. (Source: The Shift Project)

Energy consumption of data centres
Data centres account for approximately 1% of global electricity use, with expectations to rise due to increasing data demands. (Source: International Energy Agency)

Average Website CO2 Emissions
An average website produces around 1.76 grams of CO2 per page view. High-traffic websites can generate thousands of kilograms of CO2 annually. (Source: Website Carbon Calculator)