What is eco web design?

Kind to the planet, user friendly & SEO benefits. Understand what sustainable web design is so you can how it can benefit you and your organisation.

What is sustainable web design

Eco web design

Building a website is complicated enough – is your domain name suitable, have you got your branding right, does it have all the functions, is it easy to use? So why bring sustainability into this?

Did you know your website creates emissions and has a carbon footprint?

A poorly designed webpage can churn out tens of grammes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) with every click. In fact, the size of web pages has more than doubled over the past decade. For example, if your web page produces just 2g of CO2e per view and receives 10,000 monthly page views, you’re looking at 240kg CO2e per year – that’s about the same as driving from Land’s End to John o’Groats and back in an average car!

By cutting that down to 0.8g per view, you’d see a 60% reduction in emissions, a significant step toward a greener digital presenceIt’s important to note that CO2e stays in the atmosphere for centuries, meaning the sooner we reduce our emissions, the better we can curb long-term climate impacts. Making these changes now is crucial for a lasting positive effect.

“If we built all of our websites sustainably, we could eliminate as many emissions as the world’s fourth biggest polluting country or the equivalent emissions of the global aviation industry!”

Not into all this green stuff? Bored already? Just read this bit – search engines will prioritise your pages, when your customer gets there your pages will load quicker and this will translate to more sales.

OK, I’m sold. So what is it? Well, you’re probably thinking that putting it on green hosting fixes everything. Wrong! Well, sort of. That is one step.

Businesses can reduce their digital carbon emissions and take a more eco-friendly approach by having a sustainable website built.

How big is a website?

According to the Sustainable Web Manifesto

“If the Internet was a country, it would be the 4th largest polluter”

The average web page size in 2024 is 2 MB in size which has more than doubled in size in the past ten years according to the HTTP Archive.

This is down to people using larger images, scripts, videos, animations for example to drive traffic to their website which means that websites get bigger which of course means the amount of carbon being generated increases too.

What is a low carbon website?

A low carbon website is defined as one that emits less than 0.8g of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per page load. As you have read above, businesses have a long way to go to reach these goals to reduce their carbon footprint.

A low carbon website should:

Accessibility
Save Energy

Hosted on green servers

Low Carbon
Reduce Emissions
Eco-friendly design
Faster Speeds
Load Quickly

Low page load times

Why do my emissions matter?

CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) can remain in the atmosphere for a very long time. On average, carbon dioxide (CO2), which makes up the bulk of CO2e emissions, can stay in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. 
 
Around 40% of CO2 emitted today will remain in the atmosphere for about 100 years.
About 15-30% will still be present after 1,000 years.
A small portion, roughly 7%, can persist for tens of thousands of years.
 
This long atmospheric lifetime is why CO2e reductions are crucial now to limit long-term impacts on climate change. Reducing emissions sooner is critical. By making reductions now, companies can significantly decrease their long-term environmental impact. Every step toward cutting emissions, no matter how small, helps in the larger fight against climate change, and those early reductions have lasting effects.
Poppy Eco Hub

Our Commitment to Sustainable Data Centres

There’s no escaping the fact that data centres consume a lot of energy. Globally, they already account for around 1% of total electricity consumption, with forecasts predicting this could rise sharply, potentially reaching over 20% in the next couple of decades.

That’s why we work with carefully selected third-party data centres that prioritise sustainability. These facilities are built using state-of-the-art efficient infrastructure, like adiabatic cooling and containment systems that are free from harmful refrigerants and use only water when extra chilling is needed.

What’s more, these data centres are powered entirely by 100% renewable energy, making them among the most sustainable in the UK. With power usage effectiveness (PUE) as low as 1.05, our partners ensure your website is hosted with minimal environmental impact, without compromising on performance.

Poppy Eco Hub

Where do I test my website?

Websites have a carbon footprint, and the more visitors they receive the more carbon they consume. There is an amazing tool for measuring the amount of carbon a website uses.

The Website Carbon Calculator will test your site, just like we have done below, and tell you how clean your website is.

What is sustainable web design
Poppy Eco Hub

Why Choose Sustainable Web Design?

Sustainable websites aren’t just eco-friendly; they’re also fantastic for your business. Here’s why:

Boosted SEO: Google loves fast, well-coded sites. By trimming out the sluggish elements, your website loads faster, improving your SEO and giving you a leg up on the competition.

Enhanced User Experience: A speedy, well-designed site means happier visitors. When people find what they need quickly and easily, they’re more likely to engage, leading to more enquiries or sales. Plus, fewer clicks and a smoother experience mean less carbon use for your visitors.

Poppy Eco Hub

What factors affect page load time?

When we build your website, we scrutinise everything – fonts, images, videos, hosting, text, code and more. We ensure every element is optimised for fast loading and minimal carbon output.

Creating a low carbon website involves striking the right balance: maintaining your unique style and visual appeal while keeping the carbon footprint low. It’s what we excel at!

Would you like to find out even more? Here is some further reading we think you might enjoy:

Other services

Ready to make a change?

Chat to the Poppy Eco Hub team today to discuss your requirements!

Poppy Eco Hub
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