Many organizations are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, source renewable energy suppliers, and opt for eco-friendly operations overall.
The reality is, from supply chains to the energy consumption of daily operations to the CO2 footprint of products, companies are working hard to do their part to reduce harmful impacts to our environment.
But one aspect many organizations don’t think a lot about is the carbon footprint of the internet, and in particular, their web hosting services.
We may not realize it, but digital technology is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the internet alone emits 1.6 billion annual tons of greenhouse gas. On top of that, by 2025, the communications industry will represent 20 percent of global electricity consumption.
That’s not something to ignore, and luckily, there’s a way that all companies can do their part: green web hosting.
What is a Green Website Hosting & Why is it Important?
Green web hosting is a more environmentally friendly way to host websites.
Environmentally responsible website hosting uses green approaches to power websites, and maintain servers and domains. They only use renewable resources and give back to the environment by making responsible contributions to sustainable practices.
Simply put, green web hosting is important as it offsets the internet’s massive CO2 impact on the environment. Even seemingly harmless services like cloud providers contribute to that impact simply because there always needs to be physical server systems somewhere, running round-the-clock.
And that means energy consumption.
How Does Green Web Hosting Benefit Everyone?
The benefits of green web hosting are far reaching and include the following.
Neutral Environmental Impact
This is pretty obvious: by its very nature, green web hosting has a neutral environmental impact.
This means your web hosting is entirely carbon neutral and sustainable, regardless if you’re looking to reduce the overall impact your company has on the environment or are looking to contribute power back into the grid.
This is a feature that benefits absolutely everyone.
Green Web Hosting is Cost-Effective
Compared to conventional web hosting, green web hosting has not just eco-friendly benefits, but it’s cost-effective.
Because green web hosting is powered by renewable energy, often going right back into the power grid, this significantly reduces the cost of green web hosting in comparison to standard web hosting.
On top of that, with green web hosting packages, you’ll still get all the services you need, including site security, maintenance, updates, and so on.
Helps with Ethical Business Brand Building
Over the past few years – and post-pandemic particularly – digital marketing has become more humanized, speaking to a customer base that is eco-conscious and wants the same in the brands they choose. This is what adds to brand authenticity and ultimately, brand loyalty.
As a major pillar to digital marketing strategies, websites are crucial in building that authenticity and loyalty. Being confident in letting your audience know that your company is environmentally conscious, and being able to follow through on that claim, speaks volumes about your brand values. And this is something that your audience will pay attention to.
Working with a Green Web Hosting Provider
Before getting started with a web hosting provider, you can check to see if their web hosting services are eco-friendly. This is a big step towards ensuring our collective carbon footprint is net zero. If we all do our part, we can make a big difference.
Here at Sparked, we’re proud that our web hosting services are green.
Want to learn more about our fully-managed website hosting services? Contact one of our experts today.
