We analyzed the 500 largest German companies by revenue to determine the environmental impact of their websites. What many may not realize is that visiting a website affects the CO2 balance. Every page load consumes electricity, which in turn must be generated somehow. The slower a site loads, for example, the more energy it consumes. Our results reveal a worrying trend: almost 40% of these websites received the lowest grade for their carbon emissions.
In collaboration with research experts from DataPulse, we evaluated the CO2 emissions generated per visit to the homepages of these websites. While a few sites earned the top grade of “A” or “A+”, the overall results show that most of these corporate websites produce a significant amount of CO2 with each visit.
Below, you’ll find a table of the ten companies with the highest carbon emissions per visit. It’s important to note that none of these websites are powered by sustainable energy sources. This means that the data centers hosting these websites use conventional, non-renewable energy, leading to higher carbon emissions.
Discrepancy Revealed Between Claims and Reality
Although many companies publicly promote their commitment to sustainability, our analysis reveals a significant discrepancy between their claims and the actual carbon footprint of their websites. For example, Vossloh and Gauselmann, both rated “F,” often highlight their eco-friendly initiatives. On Vossloh’s website, it states: “Vossloh’s corporate vision is ‘sustainable, safe, and user-friendly rail mobility for a better world.’” This statement underscores the complexity of sustainability efforts and the need for a holistic approach that includes digital practices.
50Hertz, one of the top 10 companies with the highest CO2 emissions per visit, still positions itself as a leading advocate of clean energy, emphasizing its strong commitment to sustainability. The company promotes sustainable initiatives by investing significantly in infrastructure to support the integration of renewable energies, while taking a comprehensive approach to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing environmental responsibility across all areas. Despite these advances, there remains potential to minimize the digital carbon footprint in order to fully achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
Hydropower is actually considered a sustainable energy source. That the Berlin Waterworks rank sixth among the “suboptimal” website operators surprises no one when you consider Berlin as a whole. Nevertheless, some improvements would be appropriate.
In contrast to the lowest-rated companies, the 10 companies with the lowest carbon emissions per visit show that it is possible to make their digital presence as environmentally friendly as possible. Their websites are powered by renewable energy sources, further reducing their CO2 footprint and clearly demonstrating their commitment to sustainability.
Our study reveals a clear contrast between the public sustainability promises of Germany’s top 500 companies and the actual environmental impact of their digital practices. It is a call to companies to rethink their digital strategies and implement comprehensive sustainability measures that encompass both offline and online activities.
Disclaimers:
- Limited Scope: Our analysis is limited to the homepages of the 500 largest German companies by revenue. It does not take into account the environmental impact of other pages or digital resources associated with these companies.
- Data Limitations: The CO2 footprint calculations were based on data transmission sizes and the average global carbon intensity of electricity. Specific hosting practices may not be reflected in the data and could affect actual emissions.
Methodology
Data Collection:
- Website Selection:
The top 500 German companies were selected based on revenue data sourced from CIO’s list. - Crawling Process:
We crawled each homepage with JavaScript rendering, ensuring comprehensive data extraction from dynamic web pages.
Carbon Footprint Calculation:
- Data Extraction:
We calculated the total data transferred when a page visit occurs and estimated the associated CO2 emissions, taking into account data transfer size, the carbon intensity of electricity, and energy consumption from data centers, network transfers, and end-user devices. - Standardized Metrics:
-
- The carbon emissions per visit were calculated using the ‘Sustainable Web Design Model’, which factors in data transfer size, the carbon intensity of electricity, and energy consumption from data centers, network transfers, and end-user devices.
- The global average carbon intensity of electricity was used as a standard for calculations. Websites hosted in servers powered by green energy were adjusted accordingly.
Rating System:
-
- Emissions Grading:
-
-
- The extracted data was then graded from A+ (lowest emissions) to F (highest emissions). The grading scale is as follows:
- At: ≤ 0.095 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer ≤ 272.51 KB)
- A: ≤ 0.186 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer ≤ 531.15 KB)
- B: ≤ 0.341 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer ≤ 975.85 KB)
- C: ≤ 0.493 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer ≤ 1410.39 KB)
- D: ≤ 0.656 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer ≤ 1875.01 KB)
- E: ≤ 0.846 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer ≤ 2419.56 KB)
- F: > 0.847 grams CO2 per page view (data transfer > 2419.57 KB)
-
Author of this study:
María Fernandez Campos
As a Senior Data Analyst at DataPulse Research, I research, gather, and transform datasets into actionable insights, enabling data-driven storytelling that resonates with the media. With over 5 years of experience in data analysis and business development across various industries, I specialize in unveiling critical trends and patterns.
