What is Sustainable Web Design and why it matters

The science couldn't be clearer: climate change is happening at an accelerated pace, humans are consuming the Earth's resources faster than the natural cycle can regenerate them. If we don't act quickly, we will end up in a post-apocalyptic ecological world worthy of an 80s science fiction novel.

By rough estimates, the Internet produces around 1.6 billion tons of gas emissions per year. An alarming number without a doubt. But what's really alarming is that this estimate is increasing with each passing day as more energy is needed to support the growing infrastructure.

Opening an email may not be very resource-intensive, but when 4.6 billion people do it multiple times a day, every day, your carbon footprint starts to add up. Everything we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint helps, even if just a little.

Web pages and web developers play an important role in this task. Although it is very difficult to change the behavior of billions of people at the same time, web pages can be consciously constructed so that each user consumes fewer resources when using them.

Think of it this way: instead of changing the behavior of a hundred users, we can change the energy consumption of the websites they visit. Of course, it would be better to have a behavior change and an optimized system, but the latter has a broader impact than the former.

What is Sustainable Web Development?

Sustainable web design is an approach to designing digital products and services that puts people and the planet first. It's about incorporating sustainable technology into your design and focusing on the impact your project will have on the world.

Although not mandatory, most people who employ sustainable web development adopt the Sustainable Web Manifesto which calls for an internet that is:

• Clean: Services provided and used will be powered by renewable energy.
• Efficient: Products and services will use the least amount of energy and material resources possible.
• Open: Products and services will be accessible, allow users to control their data and allow the open exchange of information.
• Honest: Products and services will not mislead or exploit users in their design and content.
• Regenerative: Products and services will support an economy that nourishes people and the planet.
• Resilient: Products and services will work at the times and places where users need them most.

Sustainable web design is also part of the Corporate Digital Responsibility strategy that includes social, economic, environmental and technological practices. It's very simple: in a more conscious world we have to be aware of the impact we have on others and our environment.

Sustainable Web Design Practices

To be honest, if you've ever been part of a project involving lean web design, performance-driven web design, or low cost/usage web design, then you've already taken the first steps toward going green.

Whenever you reduce the amount of energy your web project consumes, you are helping the environment. This can mean a number of things, from using as few resources as possible to optimizing your program so that it requires less processing. Or it could be something as simple as creating a user experience that minimizes product engagement.

Sustainable web design practice can be summarized into the following six categories:

1. Web Performance Optimization: How optimized is your web project? How much information is transmitted in each interaction? Do users need to be constantly online to use it? Why? The less data transmission, the more we conserve energy.
2. Content Findability: How quickly can users find information? Is your web project easy to navigate? Once they find the information, is it useful? Or do they need to do follow-up research?
3. Usability: How accessible is your web project? How quickly can a user perform a task? Require high bandwidth speeds? Why?
4. Green Web Hosting: Are you using server hosting solutions that guarantee the use of clean energy?
5. Client and project ethos: What impact are we having on our clients? Are we being clear about our practices and our methods?
6. Business practices: In addition to the project itself, is your company adopting green solutions that promote a sustainable culture?

If you're thinking, “Wow, that's a lot,” you're absolutely right, it is. Adopting a sustainable culture requires time and effort, not only do we have to change our paradigms, but we have to train our teams to break with old practices and create new habits. That in itself is a challenge.

Green Partners

In addition to our culture, to promote sustainable practices, we have to build commercial relationships with other companies that share our values. As mentioned above, green web hosting is a great example of what we mean.

Servers and data storage consume staggering amounts of energy. For example, Google's data farms require enough energy to run a small country, and blockchains use as much energy as Argentina .

Look for partners that employ carbon-neutral solutions, for example, servers that are powered entirely or as much as possible by renewable energy. Outsource work to companies fully committed to sustainable practices. Promote a carbon neutral product and promote sustainable practices among your users.

A word of caution, though: Many people are using carbon credits to offset their carbon footprints. While this is a perfectly reasonable approach, it must be adopted consciously. Let me explain.

A carbon credit is a type of license that represents a certain amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. They are usually purchased by companies to offset carbon dioxide emissions. It's the idea that we can offset our current carbon footprint by investing in efforts that will remove those emissions over the long term.

Assuming that all carbon credits lead to efforts that actually reduce carbon dioxide, the problem is that this is something that will happen in the future, however, we are still increasing our carbon footprints. It doesn't make much sense to invest in the future and then destroy the possibility of seeing that future.

A new paradigm

Sustainable Web Design is not just a fad, it is a shift in the way we understand and approach business practices. Our current models have created a technocratic paradise, but this has come at a high cost.

We have to be more responsible to others and to the world. Profit margins share the same importance as preserving our planet and building a better society.

If you liked this, be sure to check out our other articles on web development.

• What is Redux and why is it important in Web development
• What is Web Design?
• Why your business should use custom websites
• Why You Need to Add a Support Bot to Your Website
• Why You Need to Care About Your Website Vitals