The energy consumption of the internet is increasing at a tremendous pace – simultaneously, the sustainability of digital services is becoming an ever more significant competitive factor. Green UX, or environmentally friendly user experience, combines sustainable development with business efficiency.
What is Green UX?
Green UX means designing services so that they consume as little energy and data as possible – without compromising usability. It is part of a broader principle of responsible design, taking into account environmental impact, accessibility, and technical performance.
However, Green UX is not just about environmental ecology; the lightness and speed of a website have a direct impact on business. A fast site means:
shorter loading times
better user experience
higher search engine visibility (SEO)
more conversions and a lower bounce rate.
Numerous studies show that the speed of a website has a direct impact on business outcomes. For example, according to Google, if the loading time of a mobile page increases from one second to three, the risk of user abandonment can increase by as much as a third.
Practical examples of Green UX measures
Image optimisation | Modern image file formats such as WebP and AVIF and automatic resolution adjustment |
Font management | Only the necessary fonts, local loading, no requests to external services |
Reduced animation load | CSS animations load less than JavaScript animations – unnecessary effects should be avoided |
Simplifying navigation paths | Faster navigation routes → fewer loads |
Analytics optimisation | Analytics optimisation – combining tracking codes and managing them with a consent manager |
Dark themes | Dark interfaces use less power on many smartphones and smartwatches with AMOLED displays. Offering a dark mode as an optional choice can enhance both user experience and device battery life. |
Green UX in practice – results before and after optimisation
The comparison below illustrates how optimisation in line with Green UX principles affects website performance, user experience, and conversions. "Before" shows the original state of the site, "after" highlights the results post-optimisation.
Element | Before (traditional UX) | After (Green UX) |
Homepage | 5-megabyte hero video plays upon page arrival | 200-kilobyte WebP image, video plays on click |
Fonts | 6 different font weights and external font service | Only necessary 3 font weights and local loading |
Navigation | Deep and heavy navigation structure | Simple and fast |
Page load time | 3.8 seconds | 1.2 seconds |
Bounce rate | 62% | 38% |
Conversion rate | 1.2% | 2.1% |
How to assess your website’s environmental impact?
An excellent way to start the Green UX journey is to analyse the current website's energy consumption and carbon footprint. One user-friendly and visually clear tool for this is the Website Carbon Calculator.
By entering your site’s address into the tool, you receive an estimate of the following:
How much CO₂ emissions are generated per page load
The energy consumption per visit
How your website compares to others on the internet
Whether your site runs on renewable energy
The tool also provides yearly estimates, such as how many trees would be needed to offset your site’s emissions. The results help identify tangible areas for improvement that can achieve ecological and business benefits.
How does Green UX support business?
Green UX is not just a question of image. It also enhances:
Sales and leads: faster pages → more conversions
Search engine visibility: Google favours fast and accessible pages
Brand’s sustainability profile: competitive advantage, especially in B2B environments
User satisfaction: speed, clarity, and accessibility improve user experience
Simultaneously, the company complies with increasingly stringent EU regulatory requirements (e.g. CSRD, EAA, WCAG 2.2), which may in the future influence bidding and contract negotiations.
Where can Crasman help?
Crasman has extensive experience in designing and implementing responsible and business-efficient web services. We provide:
A Green UX audit for your current web service
Development recommendations and a roadmap for optimisation
WCAG 2.2 accessibility audits
Design and implementation of new web services in an environmentally friendly and high-performance manner
Assistance in collecting data related to digital services for sustainability reporting – including references to the European accessibility standard EN 301 549.
Would you like us to review together how well your current web service measures up with Green UX metrics? Contact us – let’s make sustainability your competitive edge.
Olli Maksimainen
Chief Operating Officer
16 Jun 2025
