July 26, 2024

What is sustainable web design?

I first stumbled across the concept of sustainable web design while creating my own website, searching for ways to weave sustainability into each aspect of my business. I found an article by They Make Design on Medium, which introduced me to ‘the sustainability triangle’ in web design.

They describe it as “a framework that integrates sustainable business practices into the core of digital product development. This triangle has three key components: environmental, social, and economic sustainability.”

In essence, it focuses on reducing the environmental impact of the internet, ensuring accessibility for all users, and supports businesses do good for people and the planet.

Why sustainable web design matters to me

I care about sustainability

Digital sustainability is something I wish more people would talk about – every online interaction contributes to carbon emissions, and the energy required to power websites, data centres, and online services is massive. Majority of internet activity relies on fossil-fuel powered data centres, and according to The Green Web Foundation, around 20–25% of websites are hosted on servers powered by renewable energy.

As an example, if your website produces 1.2g of carbon per page-view, and your site has 10,000 monthly page views – that amounts to 144kg of CO? per year. That’s the equivalent of 1,739 500ml plastic bottles. Even if you refilled your Frank Green bottle every single day for a year, it wouldn’t offset this footprint.

That’s also on the lower end of page weights. Media-heavy websites with large images, video streaming features, and fancy animations can emit as much at 7-10g per page view.

It means my business has less of an environmental impact

As a conscious business owner (and human being), I want to ensure every aspect of my work aligns with my values for sustainability. By prioritising sustainable web design, I can reduce the environmental impact of my business operations.

Using a green hosting provider, and optimising images and media on my website help lower emissions and minimise unnecessary resource consumption. A lightweight, thoughtfully designed website can also perform better – meaning my business operates more sustainably without sacrificing quality or user experience.

It means everyone has the ability to navigate my website

An important aspect of web design in general is ensuring accessibility to all users, including those with disabilities or vision impairments. Accessible websites can be navigated using assistive technologies like screen readers, voice commands, and keyboard-only navigation. According to the World Health Organisation: 1 in 6 people worldwide (over 1.3 billion people) have a disability that affects their ability to use digital platforms effectively.

If your website isn’t made to accommodate these features – you’re potentially excluding a huge number of people from being able to access your products or services.

In many countries, adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a legal requirement for government and public sector websites, business and e-commerce sites, and not-for-profit organisations. Legalities aside, making your website accessible also ensures your online presence is inclusive and welcoming.

It means my work will help support a regenerative economy

Sustainable web design nourishes the growth of businesses and organisations that do good – something I love supporting in my work. By creating websites for those working towards positive change – it helps nurture an economy that prioritises sustainability, social responsibility, and long-term meaningful impact over short-term gains.

What makes sustainable web design a better alternative?

Better for your brand: connecting with like-minded people

If sustainability is important to you, implementing low-carbon web design practices is a natural extension of your values. More people are choosing to support brands that align with their ethical and environmental priorities. A sustainable website demonstrates your commitment to responsible business practices, making it easier to connect with like-minded customers who care about their impact.

Better for your business: a win for SEO

Sustainable web design practices align with the some of the same strategies used to improve search engine optimisation (SEO) on websites. Search engines like Google or Bing prioritise websites that load quickly, and have good user experience.

Reducing the size of images, optimising code, and removing unnecessary videos or pages results in a leaner, more efficient site that performs better in search results. A win-win for your business and the planet.

Better for people: a thoughtful user experience

A website with a clear content strategy and intuitive user journey is easier to navigate. If people can find the information they need quickly and efficiently, there’s no need for them to load more pages (thus increasing data usage), and improves the overall user experience.

Better for the planet: minimising carbon emissions

Reducing the weight of web pages through low-carbon web design practices and implementing green hosting, means your website emits less CO? and therefore has less of an environmental footprint.

Take action to make your website more sustainable

Here are some tips I used to reduce the carbon emissions of my website – there are plenty more, but as a solo business owner resources are limited, and all I can do is my best <3

Keep the design simple

Prioritise a minimalist design – it loads faster, uses fewer resources, AND focuses users attention to where it needs to be
Look at your sitemap and optimise navigation to reduce unnecessary page reloads

Switch to green hosting

Use a hosting provider whose data centres are powered by renewable energy sources like wind, solar, or hydroelectric power.
The closer the data centre is to your location, the less energy used.

Optimise images, videos, and animations

Opt for WebP/AVIF formats instead of PNG or JPEG
Implement lazy loading so images and videos only load when needed (another win for SEO)
If using animations, opt for Lottie/JSON file formats (also win for SEO) – they consume less energy than traditional animations like GIFs
Reduce autoplay videos

Dev stuff

Some of the biggest improvements to a website’s sustainability happen behind the scenes. Even if you’re not a developer, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

Remove unused plugins, fonts, and third-party scripts
Use system fonts instead of loading external font files
Enable browser caching so users don’t repeatedly download the same content when they revisit your site

I highly recommend hiring a developer to help out if your eyes glazed over when you read the above – I built most of my website on my own, and hired one at the end to help with the above or I probably never would’ve gotten it done. I’m a designer, not a wizard.

Make it accessible

Make sure your site is accessible to all users, they’ll thank you for it
Use Google Lighthouse to assess the accessibility of your site and make adjustments accordingly

Your website is a forever project :’(

As much as I wish I could’ve hit publish on my site and forget about it forever, it needs regular maintenance and updates to run smoothly.

Remove outdated or unnecessary pages and files
Optimise written content to reduce page size

You got this!

And if you don’t, that’s ok too.

It took me a very long time to figure out how to do this and I’m still learning everyday. Start small – and try to make changes bit by bit to reduce the environmental impact of your website.

It’s not about striving for the lowest possible carbon footprint—it’s about being conscious of your website’s impact and making small, meaningful changes over time.