Fancy a Cuppa? Your Website Could Be Brewing Up 3,981 Cups’ Worth of Carbon Emissions

Every time you click on a website, data travels across servers, networks and devices. This activity requires energy. While one page view might seem insignificant, the global scale of digital traffic tells a different story.

If the internet were a country, it would rank as the 4th largest polluter in the world, responsible for around 3.7% of global carbon emissions – more than the aviation industry. This impact comes from the energy consumption of data centres, transmission networks, and the devices we use daily.

Which brings us to that mysterious number: 3,981.

On average, a single webpage produces about 102 kg of CO2 equivalent each year. This roughly equates to the same carbon footprint as boiling water for 3,981 cups of tea.

Why Your Website’s Design and Maintenance Matter

While many organisations focus on physical sustainability, digital sustainability often slips under the radar because the “cloud” feels intangible. But the truth is, it’s powered by energy-intensive infrastructure that has a huge impact on our environment.

Over the years of designing and developing websites, our understanding of sustainability deepened, and so did our sense of responsibility. We knew it was time to rethink the way we work and challenge a digital industry that rarely considers its carbon footprint. 

Every digital choice has a physical consequence. A high-res image, a video background, an unused script, they might seem minor, but scaled across thousands of users, these decisions have a measurable carbon footprint.

So we made a conscious decision: to design with intention. Each project we take on is a new opportunity to minimise digital waste, reduce emissions and build smarter, lighter, faster websites. 

A Climate-Conscious Approach to Websites

Our goal is to help purpose-led organisations lower their digital footprint without sacrificing performance or impact. Over time, we’ve refined a five-part strategy to build better, leaner, more energy-efficient websites:

          Planning

• Define your audience and purpose. Avoid creating content “just in case” it might be useful.
• Focus on “VIP” content only by eliminating pages, images, and pop-ups that don’t add real value. Studies suggest that 90% of data sits unused after just three months. 
• Simplify navigation so visitors can get from A to B quickly with fewer clicks and less data transfer.
• Use clear, concise copy to reduce unnecessary scrolling and help users find what they need fast.

          Design

• Keep layouts clean and uncluttered for faster loading and better readability.
• Limit fonts by using system defaults where possible; keep custom fonts minimal.
• Use fewer images and optimise them — modern formats like WebP or AVIF reduce file sizes by 25–50% without sacrificing quality.
• Consider dark mode options, which can lower energy use on OLED and AMOLED screens.
• Avoid videos when possible, as they are one of the most energy-intensive elements on a site.

          Development 

• Write clean, efficient code by minimising unused JavaScript and CSS.
• Implement lazy loading so images and videos only load when they appear on screen, cutting down on data use.
• Keep your site tidy by regularly removing unused code and outdated content.
• Enable caching and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up delivery and reduce the distance data travels.

.         Hosting

• Choose a green web host. At madeby.studio, we proudly use one of the UK’s 58 verified green hosting providers, powering our sites entirely with renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.
• Keep servers and software updated regularly, as newer versions are optimised for better performance and lower energy use.

          Maintenance

• Delete unused content – studies show over 96% of web content never gets visited. Removing it makes your site lighter and faster.
• Regularly monitor site performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to identify and fix bottlenecks, reducing energy consumption further.

Why It All Matters

At madeby.studio, sustainability is a fundamental part of our design philosophy.  It’s woven into the way we think, design and build.  

But we didn’t want to stop at just our own work.

We founded Greentech Gathering – a growing network of over 600 businesses across the North of England, all coming together to explore how technology can create meaningful climate action. It’s been a space for conversations, collaborations and a shared commitment to doing things differently.

Join our next event on Thursday 10th July here.