Website carbon footprints across industries: shocking new data from Abstrakt’s study
Which industry’s lead, which could do better – the answer will surprise you!
Let’s talk about something that’s been keeping us up at night (besides that last cup of tea) – the carbon impact of industry websites. We’ve just wrapped up a massive study with our partner Abstrakt, and the results are quite surprising.
Why should you care about this?
Picture this:
If the internet were a country, it’d be the world’s 4th largest carbon emitter. By 2040, it could climb to second place. Not exactly the kind of high score we’re after, is it? That’s exactly why we teamed up with Abstrakt to dig into how different industries are contributing to our collective digital carbon footprint.
The numbers that made us spill our tea ☕
After conducting an analysis of 300 websites across 10 industries, we discovered the average webpage churns out 0.68g of CO2e per view. Sounds tiny, right? But multiply that by hundreds of thousands of daily visitors, and suddenly we’re talking about serious environmental impact.
Climate Heros
Insurance
Who’d have thought the insurance industry would be our carbon-conscious champion? With a tiny average 0.44g CO2e per page view, they’re leading the industry benchmark.
The Could-Do-Betters
Food & Beverage
Coming in with a whopping average 1.19g CO2e per page view, these websites are serving up more than just menu items. Those gorgeous food shots and fancy animations might look tasty, but they’re properly heavy on the carbon scale.
Surprise Shockers
Eco-Brands
(oh, the irony) Here’s where it gets awkward. Despite promoting earth-friendly products, eco-brands had the second-highest average carbon footprint in our study. It’s a bit like driving a Range Rover to an environmental protest.
What’s the deal with green hosting?
The good news? About half (50.3%) of websites are now using green hosting. The construction industry is absolutely smashing it with 79.3% adoption. But some sectors still have some way to go.
Measure your own website’s carbon footprint
Curious about where your website stands? Our carbon calculator does all the heavy lifting for you. Pop in your URL, and we’ll show you impact of your site and how it compares to things like driving a car or charging your smartphone. Plus, we’ll give you actionable tips to get started.
Ready to take action?
- Know your numbers First up, measure your website’s carbon footprint. As the well known saying goes, you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
- Think minimalist. Every element on your page costs the Earth something. That auto-playing video of your CEO? Might be time to give it the boot.
- Green your hosting It’s like switching to renewable energy for your home, but for your website. Makes a bigger difference than you might think.
Want the full story?
Abstrakt have packed all the findings, industry comparisons and actionable recommendations into a beautiful, comprehensive website carbon impact study report.
What’s next?
This study is just the beginning. We’re keeping our eye on these trends and helping organisations make their digital presence more sustainable. Because let’s face it – the internet isn’t going anywhere, but its carbon footprint doesn’t have to keep growing.