IGF 2024 Open Forum #31 Leveraging Internet Standards for Sustainable websites

As the digital landscape continues to expand, so does its environmental impact. In this session, we delve into the pivotal role of internet standards in fostering sustainable website development. Our goal is to explore practical strategies, existing standards, and their tangible effects on website sustainability. Greening the web is a collaborative effort, uniting developers, policymakers, and users alike. By promoting sustainable practices through the utilization of internet standards, we cultivate a digital ecosystem that benefits both our planet and future generations.

The Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) 1.0, developed by the Sustainable Web Design Community Group, provide actionable recommendations for creating sustainable digital products and services. These guidelines are based on measurable, evidence-based research and align with the Sustainable Web Manifesto. We propose replicating and measuring the impact of existing standards and sustainability guidelines. By applying these principles to a testing infrastructure, we can assess their effectiveness. Specifically, we’ll explore how existing standards impact energy consumption, resource usage, and overall website sustainability.

Our findings will be integrated into accessible tools, ensuring that the test setup is replicable and encourage other stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices and contribute to a greener web. By creating an open-source tool, participants will be able to share these insights within their own communities and foster the implementation of internet standards for a more sustainable Internet. Our goal is to create lasting impact beyond the session, shaping a more sustainable digital landscape for all. Collectively, with the support of Internet standards, we can build our multistakeholder digital future more sustainably.


In this open forum, we will actively promote hybrid participation. The online moderator will engage online participants and will be in continuous contact with the onsite moderator. They will make sure the online and onsite participants are actively engaged in the discussions together. Additionally, we will use a (hopefully open source) tool to receive input from the audience and use the live polling tool to get insight into the current knowledge of the participants and their expectations.