What is the Sustainable Web Manifesto?
The Sustainable Web Manifesto is a collaborative project, created by London-based agency, Wholegrain Digital, who worked on the manifesto with several industry peers that shared their commitment to online sustainability. The manifesto is a public declaration of support that digital workers and entrepreneurs can sign to pledge their commitment to creating a sustainable internet.
The manifesto has six fundamental principles that encourage those that sign it to commit to start applying them in their work:
- Clean:Â The services that a user provides and services that they use will be powered by renewable energy.
- Efficient:Â The products and services a user offers will use the least amount of energy and material resources possible.
- Open:Â The products and services a user provides will be accessible, allow for the open exchange of information, and allow others to control their data.
- Honest:Â The products and services users provide will not mislead or exploit others in their design or content.
- Regenerative:Â The products and services a user provides will support an economy that nourishes people and the planet.
- Resilient:Â The products and services a user provides will function in the times and places where people need them most.
How was the Sustainable Web Manifesto created?
Wholegrain Digital created the initial concept of the manifesto, and then invited other digital industry experts, who were interested in sustainability, to contribute to their vision. The variety of different perspectives allowed them to make the manifesto genuinely effective.
In total, ten different organisations joined Wholegrain Digital to collaboratively write the manifesto. The basis for the Manifesto is aligned with the goals of Wholegrain Digital as an agency, who have a very clear and measurable target for the work they do.
Having agreed on the final text, the teams designed and built the online homepage where they could share it with the world. They spent a lot of time designing a super-efficient, yet beautiful interface in just 30kb of pixels! When the team tested the page in their carbon calculator, they found that it loaded in less than half a second and was cleaner than 97% of all other websites on the internet!
Why should digital professionals consider signing it?
We all know the effects that climate change is having on the planet and the environment around us. The internet is a great place to find and discuss solutions. Still, it is also contributing to the problem, as it consumes large amounts of electricity in data centres, telecoms, and end-user devices such as laptops and mobile phones.
The majority of this electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, which we all know release carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gasses into the Earth’s atmosphere. This is why if the internet were a country, it’d be the 6th largest polluter in the world. And what’s worse, this is expected to grow considerably by 2030!
Within the digital industry, sustainability is rarely talked about, and it can be a difficult topic to grasp for anyone who is not in the know about sustainability topics and issues. The Sustainable Web Manifesto provides professionals with a simple set of principles to help create an internet that is compatible with a sustainable planet and society.
How can I sign the Sustainable Web Manifesto?
If you haven’t done so already, you can sign the manifesto here. The manifesto website allows you to add your name as a signatory to declare your commitment to creating a sustainable internet. This helps set the intention to follow principles of the manifesto and to help move the digital industry in the right direction.
Wholegrain Digital: https://www.wholegraindigital.com/
Sustainable Web Manifesto: sustainablewebmanifesto.com
Further Reading: De-Growth in eCommerce: The COVID-19 Kick-Start. Read More