What is a Sustainable Website?
What is a Sustainable Website?
Why Sustainability Matters Online
The internet is often described as “virtual”, but it runs on very real energy. Every website you visit triggers a chain of physical actions: data traveling through undersea cables, servers firing up in data centres, images loading on your phone or laptop. All of it has a carbon footprint.
In fact, if the internet were a country, it would be the seventh-largest polluter in the world; responsible for nearly 3.7% of global emissions, and growing.
As designers, developers, and content creators, we have an opportunity - and a responsibility - to rethink how we build the web.
What is a Sustainable Website?
A sustainable website is one that’s intentionally designed and built to minimize its environmental impact while remaining clear, fast, and accessible.
That means:
- Using clean, efficient code
- Hosting on green energy infrastructure
- Optimising images and video files
- Reducing page size and unnecessary scripts
- Respecting privacy and data collection
- Designing for accessibility and longevity
Sustainable websites are not just greener; they’re faster, clearer, and more user-friendly. Which makes them better for everyone.
Our Position: The Web as Infrastructure
At The Office for Web Ecology, we think of the internet as a kind of digital infrastructure; one that should be as carefully designed and maintained as any physical space.
We design and maintain websites that are ecologically aware, technically resilient, and visually clear.
And we audit existing websites for:
- Carbon impact
- Hosting sustainability
- Page speed + bloat
- Privacy and accessibility
Our goal?
To help creatives and businesses make their digital presence lighter, faster, and more intentional; without compromising on design or impact.
Fast Facts on Web Sustainability
The average web page in 2024 is over 2400KB, up from just 500KB in 2010.
(Source: HTTP Archive)
Images and video make up nearly 75% of a website’s total weight.
A website loading just 1 second slower can reduce conversions by up to 20%.
Sites hosted on green servers can reduce emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil-fuelled data centres.
(Source: The Green Web Foundation)
Want to Know How Your Site Performs?
We offer free mini audits and full ecological reports for websites; including hosting checks, performance breakdowns, and actionable steps to improve.
