Charities are being offered a free check on whether their websites are eco-friendly.

The service, being offered by The Eco-Friendly Web Alliance which will look at how much CO2 is being emitted per page view.

The Alliance will then offer guidance on how to make online operations more green.

The cost of the eco friendly website check starts at £85 but is being waived for charities to support efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

According to the Alliance internet use is responsible for 3.7% of the world’s carbon emissions and 10% of the globe’s electricity use. This includes people accessing the internet on a range of devices as well as through tech infrastructure such as using data centres and transmission networks.

“Given the exponential data growth and more people around the world becoming internet users, reducing the energy consumed by the internet and digital technologies will be absolutely crucial to the overall fight against climate change,” said Alliance chair Shane Herath.

“We want to help UK charities do this by offering them the solution to reducing their website-related emissions and the accreditation that demonstrates this commitment free of charge.

“We know charities are hard-pressed for cash just now because of the pandemic and will have a variety of other priorities, not least helping those they were set up to support. So by enabling them to use this free service, that is at least one environmental worry we can take off their hands.

“People tend not to think of the internet as a major contributor to climate change, perhaps because we can’t see the physical emissions as we use it.

“But in reality, it is responsible for more emissions than the aviation industry and, with the internet playing an ever-greater role in all our lives, the rate will only increase.

“That’s why we have to act now to reduce the CO2 emitted per page view for all websites. If this is done successfully, we can prevent hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 being sent into the atmosphere.”

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