How it started 🤔

At one of our Supercool Away Days, we were discussing what we could do to help clients create web content that's more environmentally sustainable.

One of the potential solutions we talked through was whether it might be useful for digital marketing teams to better understand the 'page weight' of the web pages they create. (Because the 'heavier' a page, the bigger its carbon footprint.)

Perhaps we could achieve this by having some kind of widget baked into the back-end of the websites we create? Something that shows a page weight value as you add content?

We ran with this idea, setting aside time for Research & Development.

As part of that R&D, we found an existing tool that would work a treat for what we needed. Top tip: Using existing tools where possible – rather than building something new from scratch – is a great approach. Because it keeps things simple. And it saves time. And it saves energy – which, after all, is the whole point here.

How it's going 🤓

Our solution is to use the Website Carbon Badge – developed and freely shared by the good people at Wholegrain Digital. This is now embedded as standard into the back-end all of our new websites. And it can be added to existing client websites too.

It enables website admins to see a 'carbon emissions per page view' measurement for each page they create.

Niftily, this simple solution also offers the option to publish that measurement publicly, on the front-end of the website. (There it is, at the end of this very article 👇)

This is a brilliant benefit.

It's a clear and immediate message to your audiences that you care about sustainability. That you understand your website has an environmental impact. And it suggests that not only are you taking the climate crisis seriously – but that you're also taking action.

This is so important. We know from Indigo's 'Act Green' research over the past few years that audiences care deeply about cultural organisations being active in tackling the climate crisis. So, this small act could potentially have a big impact.

The benefits 🧡

The Website Carbon Badge isn't perfect. It takes time for emissions to be calculated. So you don't instantly see the impact of each piece of content as you're adding it to a page.

But so many benefits outweigh that minor grumble:

• 'Carbon emissions per page view' is easier to understand than a 'page weight' value
• By simply being there, it's a gentle nudge to be mindful when adding content
  
• Over time, digital marketing teams build their understanding of the most energy-intensive content
• It clearly and instantly tells audiences that you care about – and are taking action on – environmental sustainability
• It's freely available to anyone! So, even if you're not one of our clients, it might be something to ask your digital agency about.