The Carbon Footprint of a Click

A single click might feel as light as a feather. But have you ever considered the carbon footprint behind that simple action? Every online search, purchase, or scroll comes with a hidden environmental cost. As eCommerce continues to boom, understanding and mitigating this impact is more crucial than ever. 

What’s the Deal with a Click?

The carbon footprint of a click refers to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by each digital interaction. This includes the energy used to power your website, the devices shoppers use, the data centers hosting your platform, and the network infrastructure that enables data to travel across the globe.

Every time you click on a link, watch a video, or load a page, your request travels through the internet’s complex web of servers, data centers, and networks. Though one click produces a tiny amount of emissions, billions of clicks daily add up to a significant impact.

Click, Click, Carbon

Let’s get a bit more concrete. On average, a single Google search emits roughly 0.2 grams of CO2. While this might seem minuscule, consider that Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day. That’s about 700,000 kilograms of CO2 daily just from search queries!

And it’s not just searches. Every action we take online, from sending an email to scrolling through social media, contributes to our digital carbon footprint. The same goes for eCommerce – the entire user journey, from search to checkout, also adds to this environmental impact. 

eCommerce and Carbon Footprint

eCommerce sites are particularly interesting when it comes to their carbon footprint. Every time you browse products or click on images, servers are consuming energy and generating emissions. As online shopping grows, it’s crucial to be aware of how our clicks add up and to support greener practices whenever we can.

Here are a few examples of how common eCommerce actions contribute to the carbon footprint:

• Product Searches: Every time a customer searches for an item, data is transmitted and processed by servers. For larger product catalogs, advanced search algorithms further elevate energy usage. 
• Website Visits: Loading a product page triggers multiple server requests. More complex websites with heavy graphics, videos, or interactive features consume even more energy during each visit.
• Customer Service: Live chat support systems and help desks running in the background increase website energy consumption.

How Can eCommerce Businesses Make a Difference?

You might be wondering, “What can I do to mitigate my site’s carbon footprint?” Good news: there are several steps you can take! 

1. Optimize Your Website: Faster websites use less energy because they require fewer server resources. Compress images, use efficient coding practices, and reduce unnecessary scripts.
2. Simplify the Shopping Experience: Fewer clicks mean fewer emissions. Streamline your navigation and checkout processes to reduce the number of steps a customer needs to complete a purchase.
3. Use Energy-Efficient Web Hosting: Choose web hosting providers that prioritize renewable energy or have carbon-neutral initiatives. Many hosting companies offer green web hosting plans that offset emissions

The Hyvä Theme: Speed Meets Sustainability

As we mentioned above, one way to reduce the carbon footprint of an eCommerce site is by improving its speed and efficiency. The Hyvä theme is a game changer in this respect. It’s a modern frontend framework designed specifically for Magento 2, and it focuses on performance optimization. 

Hyvä significantly reduces page load times by simplifying the code structure and eliminating unnecessary scripts and libraries. This improvement in speed directly correlates to a lower carbon footprint because it minimizes the time data centers need to process and deliver content to users. 

Not Just Words, But Actions

We’ve seen firsthand how Hyvä can lower a site’s environmental impact. While working on the Hajduk Split webshop, which runs on the Hyvä theme, our primary goal was to ensure the site performed at its best. 

And the results speak for themselves:

• Desktop Page Speed: 58.45% faster
• Mobile Page Speed: 40% faster
• Carbon Footprint: 48% lower 

Do we have to choose between the environment and performance? Definitely not! These results show that improving performance can actually make things more energy-efficient, proving that being eco-friendly can align perfectly with your business goals. With Hyvä, you’re not just enhancing the user experience – you’re also doing something good for the planet!

The Bottom Line

While it might seem like a small matter, the carbon footprint of a click adds up quickly. As eCommerce continues to grow, it’s essential for both consumers and businesses to be aware of their digital environmental impact. By taking steps to optimize websites, and promoting sustainable behaviors, we can all contribute to a greener planet – one click at a time.