4.1 Use sustainable hosting
Hosting, Infrastructure, and Systems
Ensure that hosting and domain infrastructure and service providers offer monitoring of resource use capabilities, low-carbon operations, and proper equipment maintenance and disposal.
Criteria
- Sustainability metrics:
Monitor, request, and track key indicators to assess and transparently report the environmental impact of hosting and identify overconsumption. Prioritize indicators of energy and water usage, even if you are using an “all-in-one” full service hosting provider. For people who set up and configure their hosting, track hardware factors, such as CPU usage and memory usage. Similarly, track the allocation of servers and CPU cores to optimize resource efficiency. Consumers should monitor and providers should both calculate and transparently share environmental impact metrics. Metrics should include Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), and Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE).- #3 Metrics for Datacenter Efficiency: PUE, CUE, and WUE
- A *May* update on the first E.E.D. day in Europe
- Afnic’s Carbon Balance Sheet
- Beyond PUE: Taclking IT’s wasted terawatts (PDF)
- Big tech’s new datacentres will take water from the world’s driest areas
- Bridging the Sustainability Gap in Serverless through Observability and Carbon-Aware Pricing (PDF)
- Can the Internet Survive Climate Change?
- Carbon Footprint of Data Centers & Data Storage Per Country
- Causal allocation of fixed impacts in product systems
- Cloud PUE: Comparing AWS, Azure and GCP Global Regions
- Data Centre Energy Use: Critical Review of Models and Results (PDF)
- Data Collection – Big Tech Emissions + Energy
- DC2 PARIS – Opcore Datacenter
- Energizta
- Getting beyond Net Zero dashboards in the information technology sector
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 4.15 – UX and UI (Sustainability Tracking)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.1 – Hosting (Hosting Provider)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.2 – Hosting (Equipment Policy)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.5 – Hosting (Renewable Documentation)
- GR491 – 1-8014 – Power Usage Effectivness
- GR491 – 1-8016 – Water Usage Effectivness
- GR491 – 1-8013 – Server Power Efficiency
- GR491 – 3-8026 – Power Off When Not In Use
- GR491 – 3-8027 – Physical VS Virtual
- GR491 – 3-8028 – Memory Usage
- GR491 – 3-8029 – CPU Usage
- GR491 – 3-8030 – Technical Choice Optimization
- GR491 – 3-8031 – Unused CPU Cores
- GR491 – 5-8053 – Efficiency Measurements
- Overestimating data center public health costs
- Overview of Power Factor in Streaming (PDF)
- Power Off, Sleep and Standby (PDF)
- Reading grid for environmental commitments of web hosting offers
- Stratix Rapportage Datacenters Impact en Feiten (PDF)
- Sustainability Guide: Product
- Sustainability Guide: Use
- What is PUE / DCiE? How to Calculate, What to Measure
- Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE)
- Equipment longevity:
Both hosting providers and consumers should maintain hardware to extend its lifespan as long as possible. Use it efficiently at an appropriate capacity, verify it has up-to-date security patches, and ensure it has the necessary certifications. New purchases should be from reliable long-lifespan suppliers. Hosting providers should have a policy for extending hardware lifetime.- 2020 Best Practice Guidelines for the EU Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency (PDF)
- AWS WAF – SUS05-BP01 – Use the minimum amount of hardware to meet your needs
- AWS WAF – SUS05-BP04 – Optimize your use of hardware-based compute accelerators
- Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design (PDF)
- Cloud Computing, Server Utilization, & the Environment
- Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency
- Data center emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it keep up the ruse?
- Data Centres and Data Transmission Networks
- Data centres as a source of flexibility for power systems
- Digital Reset (PDF)
- Energy Consumption in Data Centres and Broadband Communication Networks in the EU
- Equations relating total annual energy consumption and chips energy efficiency
- Europe’s consumption in a circular economy: the benefits of longer-lasting electronics
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 4.15 – UX and UI (Sustainability Tracking)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.1 – Hosting (Hosting Provider)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.2 – Hosting (Equipment Policy)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.6 – Hosting (Local Datacenters)
- GR491 – 1-8017 – Datacenter Best Practices
- GR491 – 4-8040 – Certified Equipment
- GR491 – 6-8063 – Datacenter Certification
- Measuring the Emissions & Energy Footprint of the ICT Sector (PDF)
- New perspectives on internet electricity use in 2030
- Power and Energy Efficiency
- Promoting product longevity (PDF)
- Reporting requirements on the energy performance and sustainability of data centres for the Energy Efficiency Directive
- Requirements for Energy Efficiency Management
- Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers (PDF)
- The environmental footprint of the digital world (PDF)
- The staggering ecological impacts of computation and the cloud
- The real climate and transformative impact of ICT
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 3 – Health & Well-being
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 6 – Water & Sanitation
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 7 – Sustainable Energy
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 9 – Infrastructure
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 12 – Consumption & Production
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 13 – Climate Change
- Use Cases for Energy Efficiency Management
- Where Cloud Meets Cement
- Low-carbon electricity:
Use electricity with the lowest possible carbon intensity. Examine location-based emissions factors to calculate the carbon intensity of available electricity from the regional grid. Include the impact of on-site electricity generation, backup generators, and storage systems in calculations.- 2025 Eco Web Hosting Review
- 43% of major environmental websites make mass carbon emissions
- Advocates raise alarm over Pfas pollution from datacenters amid AI boom
- AFNOR Spec 5.2.3 and 5.4.4 (French)
- Are my third parties green?
- Benefits of buying sustainable goods and services
- Built With
- Choose a sustainable hosting provider
- D4 Project
- Data Center Boom Risks Health of Already Vulnerable Communities
- Datacenters in space are a terrible, horrible, no good idea
- Defining ESG vs. Sustainability
- Digital data demand and renewable energy limits
- Does ESG really matter—and why?
- Elon Musk’s xAI facility is polluting South Memphis
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 1.1 – Strategy (Assessment & Impact)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 4.15 – UX and UI (Sustainability Tracking)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.1 – Hosting (Hosting Provider)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.3 – Hosting (Power Usage Effectiveness)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.4 – Hosting (Water Usage Effectiveness)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.6 – Hosting (Local Datacenters)
- GPF – General Policy Framework (PDF) – 8.7 – Hosting (Heat Utilization)
- GR491 – 1-8002 – Does Cooling Affect Groundwater
- GR491 – 1-8004 – Water Quality From Usage
- GR491 – 1-8005 – Source Of Water
- GR491 – 1-8017 – Datacenter Best Practices
- GR491 – 4-8039 – Renewable Energy Usage
- GR491 – 4-8041 – Energy Use Information
- GR491 – 4-8042 – Customer Transparency
- GR491 – 4-8051 – Cooling Impact
- GR491 – 6-8063 – Datacenter Certification
- Green Web Checker
- Green Web Foundation Directory
- Green Web Hosting: Choices to Consider
- Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape
- How much water do data centres use?
- How to amplify your sustainability efforts through your user experience
- How to cut water usage in cloud data centers
- I Made My Blog Solar-Powered, Then Things Escalated
- Majority of world’s top data centre hubs face array of rising heat-related risks
- Not All Water Consumption Is Equal (PDF)
- Power, Heat, and Intelligence – AI Data Centers Explained
- Quick Guide to Sustainable Design Strategies
- Uncertainty-Aware Decarbonization for Datacenters
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 3 – Health & Well-being
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 6 – Water & Sanitation
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 7 – Sustainable Energy
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 9 – Infrastructure
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 12 – Consumption & Production
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 13 – Climate Change
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 16 – Sustainable Society
- Where you host your website really matters
- Remaining emissions:
Work to ensure hosting and infrastructure adheres to GHG Protocol Scope 2 guidance on market-based carbon emissions accounting, seeking to match the time and location of location-based emissions from electricity consumption with purchases of low-carbon electricity.- Alternatives to Carbon Credits
- An Even More Inconvenient Truth
- Can you really negate your carbon emissions?
- Carbon accounting in the Cloud (PDF)
- Carbon Aware Computing
- Carbon Aware Computing: Next Green Breakthrough or New Greenwashing?
- Carbon Awareness
- Carbon Credits vs Renewable Energy Credits
- Carbon Neutral Verification
- GR491 – 1-8007 – Noise Pollution
- GR491 – 2-8023 – Respect for Labor Code
- Is carbon compensation a real climate solution?
- Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis shows
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 3 – Health & Well-being
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 6 – Water & Sanitation
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 7 – Sustainable Energy
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 9 – Infrastructure
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 12 – Consumption & Production
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 13 – Climate Change
- Web Hosting: Renewable Energy & RECs
- What Are Renewable Energy Credits?
- Worthless: Chevron’s carbon offsets are mostly junk and some may harm, research says
- Domain names:
The impact of domain names is disclosed by domain registries and registrars. Registrants should consider and (where possible) mitigate environmental impact when making registration decisions.- .eco Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report – 2024
- A .fr domain name generates 147g of CO2 per year
- Climate Footprint Report DNS Belgium 2023 (PDF)
- FY24 GHG Inventory Report (PDF)
- Green Web Foundation Domain name retailers
- Sustainability at Nominet
- The carbon footprint of domain registries
- The Climate Impact of a Domain Name
- The Swedish Internet Foundation Climate report 2023 (PDF)
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 3 – Health & Well-being
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 6 – Water & Sanitation
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 7 – Sustainable Energy
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 9 – Infrastructure
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 12 – Consumption & Production
- United Nations SDGS – Goal 13 – Climate Change
Benefits
- Conversion
Using sustainable hosting and sharing sustainability metrics with visitors may increase preference and loyalty. - Environment
Using hosting providers that operate with lower emissions, better power efficiency, and more responsible electronic waste management reduces negative environmental impacts from websites and products. - Social Equity
Minimizing the environmental impact of your website’s hosting infrastructure reduces its negative impacts on communities. - Transparency
Sharing the efficiency and low-carbon energy metrics of hosting services allows the public to verify and understand sustainable websites and products.
GRI
- Materials: Low
- Energy: Low
- Water: Low
- Emissions: Low