Running ecological campaigns is one thing, but special attention should also be paid to issues related to the digital carbon footprint – and this is, in my opinion, the trend of 2024.
The digital carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly as a result of using digital devices, internet infrastructure and various digital services. Not everyone realizes that widespread digitalization also comes with a significant environmental cost. Significant amounts of energy are spent on data centers and internet networks. Finding a balance between the benefits of digitalization and the need for sustainable development will therefore become crucial.
The International Union of Technology estimated that in 2021, the information and communications technology sector was responsible for emitting 620 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and using 3.8% of the world's electricity, which is comparable to all electricity generated on the African continent (3.4%).
So how can we, marketers, join the trend of reducing the digital carbon footprint? First of all, we should pay special attention to issues related to UX Design, Web Development and hosting. Importantly, the changes introduced will not only make the website more eco-friendly, but will also have a positive impact on SEO. Speeding up the country code +389, macedonia phone numbers loading of the page, compressing images and files will reduce energy consumption on both the server and the user side. It is also worth looking at hosting providers in terms of using green energy and choosing one that uses renewable energy sources or has a policy of minimizing the carbon footprint.
If you’re looking for ready-made solutions, it’s worth taking a look at the Sustainable Web Design Group, which operates within the World Wide Web Consortium, which has developed the Sustainable Web Design Guidelines. The document contains 93 recommendations to help teams create digital products and services that are more sustainable. At ou can not only learn about the guidelines, but also use ready-made solution templates to implement each point. For each of the nearly 100 recommendations, you can check what specific environmental, performance, and conversion benefits will be if you decide to make a change.
So how do you check to what extent a website is eco-friendly? The Website Carbon Calculator can be helpful. After entering the www address, you get a short report that gives the website a rating from A+ to F. You will also find out how much CO2 each visit generates and what 10,000 views per month is equivalent to. For example, one of the websites I tested, with this number of views, emitted the amount of carbon that 5 trees absorb in a year. You can also apply for a special badge that, when added to the website code, automatically calculates and displays to users the carbon dioxide emission on each subpage they visit within the website.
