Frejz becomes first business in Scotland to gain ‘eco-friendly’ website accreditation
Glasgow-based brand strategy agency Frejz has become the first in Scotland to gain “eco-friendly” accreditation for its website using a new carbon emissions measure.
The tool calculates how much CO2 a website generates, and advises that each page view should use less than one gram per page view.
Frejz went through an “optimisation” process and has now gained the accreditation, meaning users won’t be using up excessive electricity by accessing the website.
The resource has been launched by the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance, which works with businesses, organisations and networks around the world to them lead the way to a more sustainable future, setting an “eco standard” for websites and digital infrastructure.
On average, most sites generate 2.6 grams per page view, owing to issues like slow uploads, images, videos and clunky text.
That results in considerably more electricity use, which itself places a drain on global energy resources.
It has been estimated that the average website produces around 100kg of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent of driving almost 500km in a standard fossil fuel-powered car.
Finlay Kerr, managing director of Frejz, said: “No-one really thinks of a website as something which contributes to the climate change problem.
“But it’s a real hidden issue, and now there’s a simple way for businesses to ensure their own websites go green.
“The amount of electricity consumed by internet use across the globe is eye-watering, and it’s right we look at ways of practically addressing that.
“In our experience most companies want to find ways of reducing their carbon footprint and this is one key way of doing it.”
He added: “For some, it will only be a small difference, but for businesses which rely heavily on website commerce and digital interaction, it could actually be quite significant.
“It’s a very easy and affordable thing for businesses to do, and an accreditation from the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance at the end of it shows customers and clients that you’re serious about environmental issues.”