Digital sustainability

As part of our ongoing commitment to climate leadership and digital transformation, we have implemented a sustainable website strategy. This forms an important pillar of our wider Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy 2020 to 2030 and our aim is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. 

What is a digital strategy 

This is looking at the long-term direction of the website to ensure it is performing well, is stable, secure and meets the needs of residents and businesses. 

Digital sustainability

This is the practice of using digital technologies in ways that are environmentally and socially responsible, and economically viable.  As our reliance on technology grows, so does its impact on the planet and society.   

Why does it matter 

The digital industry contributes nearly 8% to greenhouse gases (was 4% in 2019), similar to the aviation industry. Each web search produces about 0.2 grams of carbon dioxide and looking at a web page uses 0.8 to 1.5 grams of carbon dioxide per view. 

Ensuring digital access protects the privacy of users and promotes ethical use of technology, supporting a fairer society. 

Electronic devices use rare materials and generate e-waste. Digital sustainability encourages a circular economy by extending device lifespans and promoting recycling.

How will we do this 

Websites need to be faster and perform well. A slower website has a higher carbon impact, so we will continue to monitor website performance looking at a metric called core web vitals. 

We will continuously monitor the quality of content on our website, ensuring we update existing content, avoid duplication and remove low traffic pages. 

Finally, creating accessible content that is easy to navigate and read for everyone is more efficient, lighter and is user focussed, which is great news and a win win for everyone and the environment. 

We pledge that we will: 

• publish and keep up to date our digital accessibility and content best practice guidelines on our website 
• ensure the website is optimised, for example by ensuring images are compressed and not heavy 
• educate employees with regular updates on sustainable browsing advice, device energy saving, and minimising digital waste 
• eco-friendly hosting and use of renewable energy where possible 

Weekly

• Check website performance and accessibility scores. 
• Monitor website searches to ensure content is easy to find for users.

Monthly 

• Check and fix broken page links. 
• Remove old and low traffic pages from the website. 

Quarterly 

• Action an accessibility review of our website and supporting platforms to ensure they meet WCAG 2.2 AA guidelines. 
• Review our carbon score using a calculator. 

Your involvement 

You can access our Sustainability and Conservation hub web page for help and advice, along with progress updates.  

For more information on our climate and sustainability initiatives, read our Climate and Nature Strategy and Action Plan. 

We are committed to being a local leader in sustainable digital services, helping residents, businesses, and employees reduce their online carbon impact and helping us move towards a sustainable future.