Every time someone loads a web page, it emits an average of 6 grams of CO2. Collectively, this means the web accounts for 2% of all global GHG emissions — equivalent to the global aviation industry.
By Rachael Blair of Wholegrain Digital
Since Wholegrain Digital was founded in
2007, being a sustainable business that has a positive impact on the world has
been an integral part of our mission. As a web design agency, we believe that
the most effective way to do this is to produce “green” websites. However,
knowing how to do this (and where to begin!) was challenging at first, as we
didn’t have a clear understanding of the environmental footprint of the sites we
were developing.
Twelve years on, we find ourselves in a different position: a Certified B
Corporation; creators of
the world’s first carbon calculator for websites; and leaders in the sustainable
web revolution.
Becoming a B Corp
Wholegrain Digital certified as a B Corp in 2017. The in-depth assessment
process gave
us a clearer idea of the size of the internet’s carbon emissions and showed us
that our company’s work contributes to this every day. To give you an idea:
Every time someone loads a web page, it emits an average of 6 grams of carbon
dioxide. Collectively, this means the web accounts for 2 percent of all global
greenhouse gas
emissions.
Although we tend to think of the internet as a virtual concept, this is
actually equivalent to the global aviation
industry.
Becoming a B Corp has further inspired us to make a more tangible effort to
affect change, and being a part of this community offers great support in
helping us to do so.
The world’s first carbon calculator for websites
After learning more about web
sustainability, we
started to ask questions: How do these global emissions relate to individual
websites? Can we measure this?
At this time, there was no real way of measuring the carbon footprint of
websites,
so we set about designing a solution. The result is the world’s first carbon
calculator for websites, which we shared with
the wider online community in May 2018. Developing the calculator has allowed us
to review our business processes and take ownership of the broader issue, so
that we can lead a wider shift in encouraging best practice within our industry.
Understanding our impact has led to a radical shift in our practices. After
launching the carbon calculator, it was time for us to walk the talk and work
out our own website carbon emissions. The next step was to overhaul the site,
using our unique efficiency by
design process, which
delivers great user experience and SEO by focusing on the three pillars of
efficiency: performance, sustainability and accessibility. Our goal
was to build a more efficient site with significantly lower carbon emissions.
The first iteration of the new website launched in August 2018, and it was 77
percent
faster, with a
45 percent reduction in carbon emissions — a success all around!
The carbon calculator enables us to communicate a website’s environmental impact
when working on projects with clients. It also shows that, from the initial
discovery stage, putting efficiency at the heart of the design process can be
better for business and lessen the impact on our planet.
Leading a sustainable web (and world) revolution
We’re always looking to encourage others to take
responsibility and
make this industry more sustainable. So we’ve teamed with fellow B
Corps Leap, Mightybytes and OpenConcept, as well as other
industry professionals, to develop a sustainable web manifesto. The manifesto
sets out a series of core principles that all web professionals can sign up to
as a way of demonstrating their shared commitment to creating a sustainable
internet.
Those who sign up are pledging that the products and services they create and
use are clean, efficient, open, honest and regenerative. As this community of
sustainable web professionals grows, we all support each other to achieve this
by sharing new developments, ideas and best practice — much like the B Corp
community!
Our mission remains as it always
has been: ensuring that we have a positive impact on people and planet. Our
focus is within our industry, where we believe we can really affect change.
However, the principle of leadership being about taking real action to drive
things forward can apply across all industries.
With B Corps leading the
charge
within our respective areas and with more companies joining the movement, we
believe that we can be an unstoppable force, creating a better future for people
and planet.
This post first appeared on
Medium
on March 5, 2019.
Published Apr 15, 2019 11am EDT / 8am PDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST