Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG)Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) covers a wide range of recommendations for making websites and products more sustainable. Following these guidelines which utilize planetary, people, and prosperity (PPP) principles throughout the decision-making processes, you can minimize your environmental impact through a mixture of user-centered design, performant web development, renewable infrastructure, sustainable business strategy, and (with metrics) various combinations of those mentioned. It should be noted that these guidelines will not address every possible mechanism or strategy to become sustainable, as such, these guidelines (which are notably Web orientated and focused) should be seen as a starting point in a sustainability journey (coverage does not extend for example to manufacturing or shipping of physical products). Following these guidelines will often make Web content more accessible, usable, and performant as a by-product.To use these guidelines, it is highly recommended that you take a methodical approach. Rather than working through the entire document and broadly attempting to apply everything held within to your project or service, scroll through the table of contents to find a guideline that appeals to either your skill set or that you (based upon the impact / effort rating) feel comfortable in attempting to tackle. Sustainable change is measured in progress over perfection and by breaking down the specification into achievable goals based upon guidelines or even success criteria, you can more easily progress toward long-term targets. Guideline examples and resources may also provide implementation guidance while benefits can help justify their usage to management. ^^ [Submitter's Note: Some of the performance indicators in this StratML rendition were converted with the assistance of ChatGPT but transforming them all proved to be beyond its capabilities. Hopefully, if anyone chooses to use this as a model performance plan/report for their own websites, appropriately naming the rest of the performance indicators will not be too difficult for humans in the loop (HITL). At least it should be more readily usable for that purpose than the original HTML source. It can be opened and edited in the XForm at https://stratml.us/forms2/Part2Form.xml]Sustainable Web Interest GroupSWIG_9654abcc-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea00The mission of the W3C Sustainable Web Interest Group is to improve digital sustainability so that the Web works better for all people and the planet. ^^ We do this through advancing the development of the Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG), its supplementary materials, and advocacy work (in digital sustainability) to educate and advise on any implementations of our work and its importance in the context of their organizations.Alexander DawsonEditorInes AkrapStoryblokCo-ChairMike GiffordCivicActionsCo-ChairTim FrickMightybytesCo-ChairParticipantsParticipants Active in the Development of This DocumentAlexander DawsonAndrea DavanzoAndy BlumAnne FaubryArnaud LevyBen CliffordBerwyn PowellBrett TackaberryBrian Louis RamirezChris AdamsChris AugierChris NeedhamChris SaterChris WilsonClaire ThornewillDavid JeanmonodDennis LemmDiogo Abrantes Da SilvaDom RobinsonEmily TrotterFershad IraniFrancesco FulloneFrançois BurraGaël DuezIain McClenaghanIan JacobsInes AkrapIsmael VelascoIulia Raluca IonitaJames ChristieJeffrey YasskinJennifer StricklandJens Oliver MeiertJim McCoolJosh KimJulien WilhelmLaurent Devernay SatyagrahaLen DierickxLeon BrocardŁukasz MastalerzMarie OtotoiMichelle BarkerMike GiffordMorgan MurrahNahuai BadiolaNeil ClarkNick DotyNicola BonottoOrie SteeleOwen BartonRomuald PriolRudolf Van Der BergSandy DähnertShane HerathSimon PerdrisatTantek ÇelikThibaud ColasThorsten JonasTim FrickTzviya SiegmanYouen ChénéYuna OrsiniZoe Lopez-LatorreContributorsOther Active Participants, or Contributors to Supporting ResourcesAdam NewmanAiste RugeviciuteAlekh GuptaAlicia PritchettAndrew WrightAnthony Vallée-DuboisAntoine AbélardBee FlahertyBoris SchapiraBrian SharpeCarine BournezChristian H BrownChristophe ClouzeauChristos BaharakisCrystal Preston-WatsonDanielle SubjectDominique Hazael-MassieuxEdward BenderElise WestFlorence MauriceGerry McGovernGreg McDonaldHidde De VriesIgnacio RondiniIvano MalavoltaJames CanningsJames GallagherJan HenckensJean RigottiJeroen HulscherJon GibbinsJuan SotésJulien RobitailleKate MroczkowskiKazuhito KidachiKimi WeiLaila TamaniLeah GoldfarbLenchi DanchLoren VelasquezLouise TowlerLuciene Bulhões MattosLuis TiagoManfred JurgovskyMarie KoesnodihardjoMark ButcherMarketa BenisekMert AntinozMichelle SanverMoritz GuthNick OliveiraNick SollecitoNicolas LanthemannNicolas OrenPatrick HypscherPietro JarreRadu MicuRafael LebreRebecca BroctonRick ButterfieldRick ViscomiRobin WhittletonSamuel PitoňákSandra PallierSarah ZamaSeb SolereSylvain TenierThierry LeboucqThomas Alexander Munch-WoolffTom GreenwoodTom HowellsTorsten BeyerTristan NitotYelle LiederYoucef BekhtiEnvironmental impacts are minimized_9654ad3e-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea00To make websites and products more sustainable_9654ae10-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea00PrinciplesAt the top are six principles that provide the foundation for Web Sustainability: clean, efficient, open, honest, regenerative, and resilient. ^^ These guiding principles were chosen to act as the foundation of the WSGs on the basis that they opened the conversation as to what Web sustainability could and should mean for website or application creators and product owners attempting to make a change to benefit people and the planet. ^^ While the primary focus of our guidelines is sustainability in the environmental impact sense, to avoid narrowing our definition, as with many frameworks this specification takes an PPP approach to sustainability. The benefit of this methodology is that while we do recognize the importance of energy / carbon accounting and reduction, we avoid carbon tunnel vision and seek to approach digital sustainability reductions through additional measures such as through the reduction of water waste and raw material conservation such as paper. We also are mindful of the social aspects of sustainability and the importance of people as well as the planet, thereby including important criteria, notes, and cross-links where appropriate to W3C work in accessibility, privacy, and other groups and including mentions of Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR), ethical behavior, and other important disciplines. ^^ Of course, principles on their own do not make for good testable guidelines, which is why our guidelines are as heavily evidence-weighted as possible, aligning with existing sustainability reporting frameworks and standards (such as GRI). We also have made every effort possible to map our work to comply with existing and upcoming worldwide regulatory frameworks to assist with compliance.CleanlinessEfficiencyOpennessHonestyRegenerationResiliencyUser-ExperienceReduce front-end sustainability impacts of user-experience design_9654ae7e-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea001User-Experience Design ^^ Product and user-experience designers are in a unique position. Not only do they often have the ability to dictate the visual aesthetic of a website or application, but they are often the champions of interfaces and the visitor experience. ^^ Having this power gives those working in user-experience the ability to: ^^ * Identify product and visitor needs (alongside impact), testing regularly. ^ * Structure the information architecture to improve ease of access. ^ * Ensure assets are suitable and of the lowest footprint required. ^^ By adhering to the below guidelines, individuals can make a significant difference in the reduction of front-end sustainability impacts.ImpactsUndertake Systemic Impacts Mapping_9654afbe-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea001.1Many variables can impact the user-experience, and a bunch of these can impact how sustainable your website will be. Attempting to identify where you can make a difference to the visitor and give them a more sustainable experience will be beneficial.1.1.1External Variables_43e2e668-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_1Success Criterion - External Variables (Machine Testable) ^^ Any negative external variables affecting a product or service are displayed in a publicly available resource, identifying where your product's sustainable impact can be diminished (systemic design).StatusDisplayed[To be determined]Visitor NeedsAssess and Research Visitor Needs_220dc3c0-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.2Website VisitorsWhen creating a product or service, identifying your target audience through user-research, analytics, data collected using ethical anonymous methods, or feedback from and with visitors is important in being able to create a customized service for and with them that is tailor-made for their specific preferences, adapted for any needs they may have, and particularly useful in helping a website or application evolve its service to meet sustainability targets.1.2.1Target Visitors_43e2f28e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_2Success Criterion - Identify And Define (Machine Testable) ^^ Primary and secondary target visitors are identified, and their needs are defined through quantitative or qualitative research, testing, or analytics, ensuring your visitors and affected communities remain a close part of the research and testing process.StatusDefined[To be determined]1.2.2Visitor Constraints_43e2f86a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_3Success Criterion - Visitor Constraints (Machine Testable) ^^ Potential visitor constraints like the device age, operating system version, browser, and connection speeds are accounted for when designing user-experiences.StatusAccounted For[To be determined]1.2.3Access Constraints_43e2fef0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_4Success Criterion - Barriers And Access (Machine Testable) ^^ The team has researched and identified whether a technical, material, or human constraint might require an adapted version of the product or service that reduces barriers or improves access to content.StatusReduced[To be determined]1.2.4Barriers_43e3060c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_5Success Criterion - Barrier Removal (Human Testable) ^^ Barriers to access (pain points or dark / deceptive design patterns) have been identified in the user-research with visitors for removal.StatusRemoved[To be determined]1.2.5Roles_43e30706-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_6Success Criterion - Seat At The Table (Human Testable) ^^ All stakeholders including your visitors have been assigned an equitable role in the decision-making process when undertaking research, identifying needs, or conducting iterative design work.StatusAssigned[To be determined]Non-Visitor NeedsResearch Non-Visitor's Needs_220dcb90-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.3If you provide physical goods or services, you may also have to account for the sustainability impact of delivery services. This can often be tricky, but courier companies may provide useful tooling to help you identify emissions data for routing.1.3.1Plan_43e30ba2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_7Success Criterion - Non-Human Impact (Machine Testable) ^^ A plan of action has been established for non-users and other stakeholders who might be passively impacted by a digital product or service, such as neighbors accepting parcels, traffic jams due to deliveries, etc. Research their needs and understand how they might be affected.StatusEstablished[To be determined]IdeationConsider Sustainability in Early Ideation_220dd284-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.4While some things require the use of electricity, during the early ideation phase you could consider wireframing or rapid prototyping (using paper) among other offline tools to reduce energy consumption. Even the electronic versions of these may have a lower carbon cost than committing to building a full-blown experience for each idea.1.4.1Wireframes & Prototypes_43e31142-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_8Success Criterion - Wireframes And Prototypes (Human Testable) ^^ Wireframes, and rapid prototyping are utilized to quickly build consensus, reduce risk, and lower the number of resources needed to build features.StatusUtilized[To be determined]1.4.2Participation & Testing_43e3123c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_9Success Criterion - Participation And Testing (Human Testable) ^^ Users are involved within the iteration and design process using participatory design, and when conducting user-testing reach out to your community to help improve your product by allowing them to apply their knowledge and experience to your product or service.StatusUsers Involved[To be determined]IssuesAccount for Stakeholder Issues_220dd2fc-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.5Brainstorming allows you to flush out ideas before you commit to pursuing a path. Being considerate of not just your visitors but other individuals who may be affected by your product or service (including non-humans, like the environment!) is a useful practical exercise as it may influence your decisions in how you scope your project.1.5.1All Stakeholders_43e31728-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_10Success Criterion - Human-Centered Brainstorming (Human Testable) ^^ All stakeholders have been considered using a human-centered approach during the brainstorming process.StatusConsidered[To be determined]1.5.2Ecological Needs & Boundaries_43e31d2c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_11Success Criterion - Ecological Brainstorming (Human Testable) ^^ The planetary needs and ecological boundaries of a project have been taken into account during the brainstorming process. This can include creating non-users, non-human (animal, planet) personas, or climate-specific user stories and sprints.StatusConsidered[To be determined]ExperiencesCreate a Lightweight Experience by Default_a01fe3c2-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea001.6When providing the option to download, save, print, or access anything online, defaulting to the most lightweight, least featureful version will reduce emissions through passive browsing; with non-essential information removed from the screen either to be shown when it's required or eliminated.1.6.1Service Access_43e31e3a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_12Success Criterion - Efficient Paths (Machine Testable) ^^ The path taken to access the service (the initial contact with the website or service) should be as efficient and as simple as possible (time required to complete an action displayed, reducing too much choice, ensuring visitors know what's required at the start of a complex set of steps, etc).StatusEfficient[To be determined]1.6.2User Journeys_43e322d6-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_13Success Criterion - Patterns For Efficiency (Human Testable) ^^ The users journey (when browsing an accessed website or service) should be as smooth as possible. User-research is key, as is building on established design patterns that people already understand.StatusSmooth[To be determined]1.6.3Distractions_43e3288a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_14Success Criterion - Distraction-Free Design (Machine Testable) ^^ Visitors can complete tasks without distractions or non-essential features getting in the way.StatusEliminated[To be determined]1.6.4Non-Essential Information_43e32998-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_15Success Criterion - Eliminate The Non-Essential (Machine Testable) ^^ Visitors see only information that is relevant to their experience, without non-essential information being displayed on the screen.StatusEliminated[To be determined]1.6.5User-Initiated Content_43e32e2a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_16Success Criterion - User-Initiated Actionable Content (Machine Testable) ^^ Ensure that actionable information such as pop-up or modal windows can only be initiated by the visitor.StatusControlled by Visitors[To be determined]AssetsAvoid Unnecessary or an Overabundance of Assets_220dd4e6-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.7It's great to have a pretty-looking website or application but to ensure a sustainable design, it's important to avoid cluttering up the interface with too many visuals (which aren't necessary to the content). Keeping a clean design will reduce website rendering, and thereby emissions.1.7.1Decorative Design_43e333de-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_17Success Criterion - Decorative Design (Machine Testable) ^^ Decorative design is used only when it improves the user-experience, and unnecessary assets or ones that fail to benefit the visitor or sustainability are removed (or rendered optional and disabled by default).StatusUsed Only When Necessary[To be determined]Navigation & Way-FindingEnsure Navigation and Way-Finding Are Well-Structured_220dd914-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.8Information architecture is a central part of the Web development process, and how you structure a website ensures that people can way-find your content easily. Having appropriately marked-up links within your product or service allows visitors, search engines, and social networks to identify key information quickly.1.8.1Navigation & Search_43e33500-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_18Success Criterion - Navigation And Search (Machine Testable) ^^ Provide an accessible, easy-to-use navigation menu with search features that help visitors easily find what they need.StatusEasy to Use[To be determined]1.8.2Sitemaps_43e339b0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_19Success Criterion - Navigable Sitemaps (Machine Testable) ^^ Implement an efficient (human-readable) sitemap that is organized and is regularly updated. This helps search engines better index website content, which helps visitors more quickly find what they are looking for.StatusEfficient[To be determined]1.8.3Content & Services_43e3400e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_20Success Criterion - New Content (Machine Testable) ^^ Implement a way for visitors to find out about new content and services.StatusDiscoverable[To be determined]AttentionRespect the Visitor's Attention_220dd982-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.9Time is precious, wasting a visitor's will cause frustration and lead to abandonment or resentment. Additionally, the more time a visitor spends in front of a screen, the more energy they utilize. As such, throwing stuff in front of the visitor vying for their attention might sound like good business (even though we know due to banner blindness it rarely works), but it mostly damages the environment and dissuades the visitor.1.9.1Attention_43e3414e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_21Success Criterion - Respecting Attention (Machine Testable) ^^ The visitor can easily control how (and when) they receive information to both improve attention and respect with the visitor.StatusRespected[To be determined]1.9.2Distractions_43e34612-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_22Success Criterion - Avoid Distraction (Machine Testable) ^^ Features that don't distract people or unnecessarily lengthen the time they spend using the product or service have a higher priority than others.StatusAvoided[To be determined]1.9.3Attention Keeping_43e34bee-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_23Success Criterion - Avoid Attention-keeping (Machine Testable) ^^ Avoid using infinite scroll or related attention-keeping tactics.StatusAvoided[To be determined]Design PatternsUse Recognized Design Patterns_220ddaf4-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.10Visitors can identify patterns fairly easily, and they like browsing websites and apps and feeling as if they know what they are dealing with. As such, focusing your efforts on producing a product or service that is clean and has key components in easy-to-recognize locations (and visuals) will allow faster user-experiences and fewer emissions.1.10.1Essential Components_43e34d2e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_24Success Criterion - Design Patterns (Machine Testable) ^^ Provide only essential components visible at the time they are needed. Where appropriate, interfaces should deploy visual styles (patterns) that are easily recognized and used.StatusVisible[To be determined]ManipulationAvoid Manipulative Patterns_220dde46-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.11Manipulating the visitor into doing things you want them to is a short-term gain, long-term loss tactic tool. It's ethically bad, unsustainable, and should be avoided at all costs.1.11.1Dark & Deceptive Design_43e351e8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_25Success Criterion - Dark and Deceptive Design Patterns (Machine Testable) ^^ Avoid what are commonly known as dark patterns, deceptive design, or unethical coding techniques, which manipulate visitors into taking actions not necessarily in their best interest (anti-right click, no-copy, requiring an account to purchase, etc).StatusAvoided[To be determined]1.11.2Advertising_43e357e2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_26Success Criterion - Using Advertisements (Human Testable) ^^ Advertisements and sponsorships are both ethical and clearly identified with the product or service, only presenting them when they provide real economic and ethical value and don't diminish a visitor's experience.StatusIdentified & Ethical[To be determined]1.11.3Page Tracking_43e3592c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_27Success Criterion - Page Tracking (Machine Testable) ^^ Remove unused and unconsented page tracking.StatusRemoved[To be determined]1.11.4SEO_43e35df0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_28Success Criterion - Search Engine Optimization (Machine Testable) ^^ Optimization for search engines, social networks, and third-party services are organically led with good coding practices with user-experience the focus, not manipulating the services to gain greater priority through obfuscating content, pages, websites, or applications with redundancy or non-useful and optimized (to the visitor) material.StatusOptimized[To be determined]OutputsDocument and Share Project Outputs_a01fe4e4-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea001.12Everything produced by designers, developers, writers, and those involved with a project should be in an open format, well maintained, and curated in a common format (so everyone is working from the same model).1.12.1Deliverables_43e36462-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_29Success Criterion - Deliverables Reusability (Machine Testable) ^^ The deliverables output, including documentation, are used upstream of the project and produced in ways that will allow it to be reused in subsequent projects.StatusReusable[To be determined]1.12.2Delverables_43e365c0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_30Success Criterion - Deliverables Documentation (Machine Testable) ^^ Design functionality and technical specifications are documented so that deliverables are comprehensible by the project team and transferable to the development team.StatusDocumented[To be determined]1.12.3Deliverables_43e36ab6-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_31Success Criterion - Deliverables Readability (Machine Testable) ^^ Developers have access to code comments and other View Source affordances which can reduce the burden to access, understand, maintain, and utilize production-ready code as this will reduce redundancy and foster an open source culture.StatusReadable[To be determined]InterfacesUse a Design System To Prioritize Interface Consistency_220ddeb4-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.13Design systems allow common components and patterns to be formalized and managed within a website or application. By using such a tool, designers and developers can avoid reinventing existing tooling and thereby reduce wasted time (and emissions).1.13.1Design Systems_43e3713c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_32Success Criterion - Design System (Machine Testable) ^^ A design system is employed based on web standards and recognizable patterns to mutualize interface components and provide a consistent experience for visitors.StatusEmployed[To be determined]Purpose & FormatWrite With Purpose, in an Accessible, Easy To Understand Format_220de012-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.14Everyone should be able to understand what you've written without wasting time staring at a screen or jumping from page to page looking for answers, whether they have accessibility requirements or not. This also means avoiding using technical language (without explanations) and including enough information to help direct people (and search engines) from page to page.1.14.1Writing_43e372a4-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_33Success Criterion - Write Clearly (Machine Testable) ^^ Content is written clearly, using plain, inclusive language delivered at an easy-to-understand reading level considering accessibility and internationalization inclusions as required (for example, dyslexia).StatusClear[To be determined]1.14.2Content Formatting_43e377a4-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_34Success Criterion - Content Formatting (Machine Testable) ^^ Content is formatted to support how people read online, including a clear document structure, visual hierarchy, headings, bulleted lists, line spacing, and so on.StatusClear[To be determined]1.14.3SEO_43e37efc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_35Success Criterion - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (Machine Testable) ^^ SEO has been prioritized from the early design stages and throughout a product or service's lifecycle to improve content findability.StatusPrioritized[To be determined]ImagesTake a More Sustainable Approach to Image Assets_220de36e-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.15Of all the data that comprises the largest over-the-wire transfer rates within the average website or application, images are usually those that are responsible due to their quantity and usefulness. As such, doing all you can to reduce their size and unnecessary loading will be beneficial for sustainability.1.15.1Image Requirements_43e38122-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_36Success Criterion - Need For Images (Machine Testable) ^^ The need for images has been determined considering the quantity, format, and size necessary for implementation.StatusConsidered[To be determined]1.15.2Images_43e386a4-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_37Success Criterion - Optimize Images (Machine Testable) ^^ Resize, optimize, and compress each image (outside the browser), offering different sizes (for each image) for different screen resolutions.StatusOptimized[To be determined]1.15.3Lazy Loading_43e38dfc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_38Success Criterion - Lazy Loading (Machine Testable) ^^ Provide Lazy Loading to ensure image assets only load when they are required.StatusProvided[To be determined]1.15.4Image Sizing_43e38fa0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_39Success Criterion - Sizing And Deactivation (Machine Testable) ^^ Let the visitor select the display size, and provide the option to deactivate images.StatusVisitor Controlled[To be determined]1.15.5Media Management_43e394c8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_40Success Criterion - Management And Usage (Machine Testable) ^^ Set up a media management and use policy to reduce the overall impact of images, with criteria for media compression and file formats.StatusPolicy Established[To be determined]MediaTake a More Sustainable Approach to Media Assets_220de3dc-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.16Video and audio-heavy websites are often those that can have significant sustainability costs in terms of storage and carbon intensity for viewers who have to process the media with their devices to watch them (draining batteries). Optimizing such assets as much as possible is critical for a sustainable product or service.1.16.1Requirements_43e39b62-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_41Success Criterion - Need For Media (Machine Testable) ^^ The need for video or sound usage (including only when they add visitor value) has been determined, and non-informative media (background media) including autoplaying functionality has been banned or removed.StatusDetermined[To be determined]1.16.2Media_43e39cfc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_42Success Criterion - Optimize Media (Machine Testable) ^^ Compress the media according to the visitor's requirements, select the appropriate format, ensure it works across browsers, and avoid embedded player plugins.StatusOptimized[To be determined]1.16.3Lazy Loading_43e3a21a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_43Success Criterion - Lazy Loading (Machine Testable) ^^ Any media requiring a lot of data to be downloaded on the client side (including the media itself) has been loaded behind a facade (a non-functional, static, representational element).StatusSupported[To be determined]1.16.4Media Deactivation_43e3a878-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_44Success Criterion - Labels And Choice (Machine Testable) ^^ Let the visitor control media deactivation, giving a choice of resolutions; all while providing alternative resolutions and formats. Also increase visitor awareness by informing them of the length, format, and weight of the media.StatusVisitors Control[To be determined]1.16.5Policy_43e3aa12-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_45Success Criterion - Management And Usage (Machine Testable) ^^ Set up a media management and use policy to reduce the overall impact of audio and video, with criteria for media compression and file formats.StatusEstablished[To be determined]AnimationTake a More Sustainable Approach to Animation_220de544-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.17Animation can be both CPU and GPU-intensive and have implications for accessibility. While visually appealing and useful in certain situations, care and attention should be taken when considering the use of a high emissions technology.1.17.1Requirements_43e3af3a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_46Success Criterion - Need For Animation (Human Testable) ^^ Use animation only when it adds value to a visitor's experience, and not for decorative elements.StatusDetermined[To be determined]1.17.2Burden_956dfc68-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_47Success Criterion - Avoid Overburdening (Machine Testable) ^^ Progressively display an appropriate quantity of animation so as not to overburden the visitor or diminish expected device behavior.StatusMinimized[To be determined]1.17.3Control_956e08a2-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_48Success Criterion - Control Animation (Machine Testable) ^^ Allow visitors to start, stop, pause, or otherwise control animated content.StatusUser Controlled[To be determined]TypefacesTake a More Sustainable Approach to Typefaces_a01fe5c0-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea001.18Since the advent of the modern web, the ability to include embedded fonts and provide a more customized experience has seen their use explode. They aren't always the most performant option (which poses emissions hazards) and come with a few issues such as Flash Of Unstyled Content (FOUC) / Flash Of Unstyled Text (FOUT) which should be addressed.1.18.1Typefaces_43e3b61a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_49Success Criterion - Default Typefaces (Machine Testable) ^^ Use standard system-level (web-safe / pre-installed) fonts as much as possible.StatusStandardized[To be determined]1.18.2FontsNumber_956e1004-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_50Success Criterion - Font Optimization (Machine Testable) ^^ The number of fonts, and the variants within typefaces (such as weight and characters) are limited within a project, using the most performant file format available.StatusOptimized[To be determined]Alternative AssetsProvide Suitable Alternatives to Web Assets_220de8aa-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.19Media, images, fonts, and documents enrich the Internet. The problem is that people may not want to watch a video, listen to an audio file, look at an image, or use a specific application. By providing alternative formats to anything you embed, you ensure the widest possible audience can benefit from it (and reduced carbon output will occur as the alternative text will induce less consumer hardware thrashing than its rich media alternative).1.19.1Formats_43e3b7d2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_51Success Criterion - Open Formats (Machine Testable) ^^ All proprietary file formats (such as PDF) are offered in HTML for accessibility and to ensure future availability.StatusOpen[To be determined]1.19.2Fonts_956e1860-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_52Success Criterion - Font Subsetting (Machine Testable) ^^ All custom typefaces (using font-display) are subsetted and offered as part of a font stack with a system font as a backup.StatusSubsetted[To be determined]1.19.3Alternative Text_956e2346-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_53Success Criterion - Alternative Text (Machine Testable) ^^ All images provide meaningful alternative text for screen reader users (or when images fail to load) accessibility.StatusProvided[To be determined]1.19.4Audio_956e2634-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_54Success Criterion - Audio Alternatives (Machine Testable) ^^ Audio provides text transcripts of conversations as an alternative to playing the media.StatusTranscribed[To be determined]1.19.5Video Alternatives_956e2d78-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_55Success Criterion - Video Alternatives (Machine Testable) ^^ Video provides text transcripts (at minimum), subtitles (using WebVTT), and for accessibility best practice, offer closed captions and sign language options.StatusProvided[To be determined]FormsProvide Accessible, Usable, Minimal Web Forms_220de922-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.20Understandably, businesses want to know more about their customers, but a key part of sustainability is being ethical towards visitors and as such, the right to privacy is considered paramount. Don't demand information when it's not required and not only will this help visitors complete transactions quicker (reducing emissions), it will help with legal compliance such as GDPR.1.20.1Simplification_43e3bd0e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_56Success Criterion - Form Simplicity (Machine Testable) ^^ Remove unnecessary forms and reduce form content to the bare minimum necessary to meet the visitor's needs and the organization's business goals. Clearly communicate why a form is necessary, what its value proposition is, how many steps it will take to complete, and what an organization will do with collected data (informed consent).StatusSimplified[To be determined]1.20.2Functionality_956e3782-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_57Success Criterion - Form Functionality (Machine Testable) ^^ Avoid auto-completion / auto-suggest if it would prove unhelpful (to conserve bandwidth) whilst allowing autofill for ease of repeat entry (including the use of helpful tooling such as password managers).StatusOptimized[To be determined]InteractionSupport Non-Graphic Ways To Interact With Content_220dea8a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.21Certain visitors such as those with visual disabilities or speech agents (like Amazon Alexa) may rely on an experience without the graphical part of an interface. As such, they potentially may use less data or may have a different carbon impact on the Web.1.21.1Alternative Interactions_43e3c3f8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_58Success Criterion - Alternative Interactions (Machine Testable) ^^ Support speech browsing and other non-graphical ways to interact with content that provide alternatives to a visual interface.StatusSupported[To be determined]NotificationsProvide Useful Notifications To Improve The Visitor's Journey_220dee2c-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.22Notifications whether through the browser or messaging can be potentially useful, but only used in moderation. Spam and the lack of control are contributing sources of Internet emissions and as such, businesses should aim to reduce such actions.1.22.1Justifications_43e3c5ce-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_59Success Criterion - Notification Justification (Human Testable) ^^ Remove non-essential notifications while justifying and reducing the practice of e-mailing or text messaging to what is strictly necessary. Useful notifications (such as alerts for new content) should be used with care and restraint.StatusJustified[To be determined]1.22.2Control_956e3a5c-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_60Success Criterion - Notification Control (Human Testable) ^^ Let the visitor control notifications (for example through the browser, SMS, or by email) and adjust messaging preferences, and the option to unsubscribe, logout, and close an account should be available and visible.StatusVisitor Controlled[To be determined]1.22.3Prompts & Responses_956e418c-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_61Success Criterion - Prompts And Responses (Machine Testable) ^^ Clearly explain the result of a potential input through helpful prompts and messages that explain errors, next steps, and so on. This will help manage their expectations.StatusExplained[To be determined]DocumentsReduce the Impact of Downloadable or Physical Documents_220deea4-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.23Printing or downloading documents can both be a net benefit and a net cost in terms of sustainability as it can reduce repeat requests to websites, but the act of printing (especially when unoptimized) wastes valuable ink and paper.1.23.1Printing_43e3cb32-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_62Success Criterion - Printing Documents (Machine Testable) ^^ If the production of paper documents is essential, it should be designed to limit its impact to the lowest possible. Create a CSS Print stylesheet and test it with different types of content. Ensure PDF printing is encouraged over paper-based storage.StatusLimited[To be determined]1.23.2Downloading_956e4b64-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_63Success Criterion - Optimize Documents (Machine Testable) ^^ Provide all downloadable documents in a state of being optimized, compressed, and in a variety of accessible file formats.StatusOptimized[To be determined]1.23.3Delivery_956e4dee-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_64Success Criterion - Optimize Delivery (Machine Testable) ^^ If a document is likely to be re-used, generate the document once on the server-side (preferably on a cookie-free domain) rather than forcing the effort to be duplicated.StatusOptimized[To be determined]1.23.4Labels & Choices_956e5492-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_65Success Criterion - Labels And Choice (Machine Testable) ^^ Clearly display the document name, a summary, the file size, and the format, allowing the visitor a choice if possible of both the format, and the language (if not the same as the web page). Furthermore, be sure to avoid embedding the document within Web pages (provide a direct link to download or view within the browser instead).StatusDisplayed[To be determined]Testing & PrototypingCreate a Stakeholder-Focused Testing & Prototyping Policy_a01fe5fc-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea001.24The organization has policies and practices in place to incorporate stakeholder-focused testing and prototyping into its product development cycles.1.24.1Processes_43e3d1cc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_66Success Criterion - New Features And Perspectives (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has outlined processes it uses to prototype and test new features, product ideas, and user-interface components when applicable with real users who represent various stakeholder perspectives, including people with slow connection, with disabilities, with difficulties using digital services, and so on.StatusOutlined[To be determined]1.24.2Processes_956e5cf8-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_67Success Criterion - Resourcing And Viability (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has appropriately resourced these processes to support its long-term product viability.StatusResourced[To be determined]1.24.3Training Materials_956e5f28-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_68Success Criterion - Training And Onboarding (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has training materials to onboard new product team members to these practices.StatusAvailable[To be determined]1.24.4Testing & Validation_956e613a-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_69Success Criterion - Testing And Validation (Human Testable) ^^ The organization regularly conducts extensive testing and user interviews to validate whether the released features are meeting both business goals and visitor needs.StatusConducted[To be determined]Audits & TestsConduct Regular Audits, Regression, and Non-Regression Tests_220df02a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.25Products and services at any stage of a project can suffer bugs or issues that need to be resolved. Fixing these regressions also generates additional development and environmental costs. By resolving such issues, you can reduce the chances of a visitor giving up on a session and thereby reduce the amount of wasted energy your website emits overall.1.25.1Codebase_43e3d3a2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_70Success Criterion - Regular Issue Testing (Machine Testable) ^^ The codebase has been checked for bugs, performance issues hav been identified, and accessibility or security problems have been accounted for at either monthly or quarterly timeframes (depending on your scheduling allowance).StatusTested[To be determined]1.25.2Non-Regression Tests_956e636a-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_71Success Criterion - Non-Regression Tests (Machine Testable) ^^ Non-regression tests are implemented for all important functionality.StatusImplemented[To be determined]1.25.3Regression Tests_956e6586-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_72Success Criterion - Regression Tests (Machine Testable) ^^ Regression testing has been incorporated into each release cycle to ensure that new features don't introduce bugs or otherwise conflict with existing software functionality.StatusIncorporated[To be determined]PerformanceIncorporate Performance Testing Into Each Major Release-Cycle_220df3a4-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.26Try to ethically measure how efficient a visitor's experience is by analyzing the performance of the website or application and how it has been constructed, by doing so you might be able to reduce any issues they may have encountered previously, decrease loading times, and reduce the burden of loading unnecessary pages.1.26.1Performance_43e3d942-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_73Success Criterion - Performance Testing (Machine Testable) ^^ The performance of a website or application, to identify and resolve bottlenecks or issues in the underlying code or infrastructure which could ultimately impact the sustainability of a website or application, are regularly measured with each release-cycle (using tooling or through research and auditing).StatusTested[To be determined]1.26.2Data_956e6798-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_74Success Criterion - Measurement And Compliance (Machine Testable) ^^ Only data required to provide a streamlined and effective user-journey, put policies in place to ensure strict adherence, and comply with relevant accessibility policies and privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are collected.StatusStreamlined[To be determined]ValueIncorporate Value Testing Into Each Major Release-Cycle_220df426-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.27Occasionally, you may find that features you have developed for a product or service have little to no active users or could be better implemented to bring better value. Undertaking research to identify redundancy allows you to optimize your codebase (and reduce emissions).1.27.1Usage Changes_43e3dfdc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_75Success Criterion - Usage Changes (Human Testable) ^^ Visitor feedback, adoption, and churn rates are monitored of product or service features and their insights incorporated into future releases.StatusMonitored[To be determined]UsabilityIncorporate Usability Testing Into Each Minor Release-Cycle_220df598-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.28Researching a product or service and how it is used over time allows you to iterate and ensure the features and functionality being offered match how user-needs change over time. Doing so will help you reduce code redundancy further and reduce emissions through optimization.1.28.1Usability_43e3e1c6-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_76Success Criterion - Usability Testing (Human Testable) ^^ Usability testing has been incorporated into product cycles and the impact of these tests is routinely measured for future releases.StatusTested[To be determined]CompatibilityIncorporate Compatibility Testing Into Each Release-Cycle_220df912-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea001.29Compatibility is a critical part of the sustainability mindset and should be prioritized through all products and services. If individuals wish to use older devices (or cannot upgrade due to cost) or do not wish to upgrade as frequently, it will reduce the amount of e-waste that enters the system. If something doesn't work, it's also likely to result in visitors suffering a wasted effort, potentially leading to refused access to your service (and thereby emitting further emissions).1.29.1Compatibility Policy_43e3e73e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_77Success Criterion - Compatibility Policy (Machine Testable) ^^ A compatibility policy with obsolete devices and software versions, listing the supported devices brands, operating systems, and browsers (including versions) has been established.StatusEstablished[To be determined]1.29.2Compatibility_956e69dc-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_78Success Criterion - Maintaining Compatibility (Machine Testable) ^^ Planned obsolescence in software updates is routinely avoided, striving to maintain compatibility for as long as possible and clearly communicating whether an update is evolutionary (large updates that can significantly reduce performance) or corrective (smaller updates that fix bugs or improve security).StatusMaintained[To be determined]1.29.3Testing Frequency_956e6c20-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_79Success Criterion - Frequent Testing (Machine Testable) ^^ The product or service regularly tests with weak, unstable, and slow connections, old browsers, and devices older than five years to ensure compatibility.StatusFrequent[To be determined]1.29.4Mobile Friendliness_956e6e5a-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_80Success Criterion - Mobile Friendly (Human Testable) ^^ Device-adaptable methods (such as responsive design) are utilized and interfaces are prototyped to ensure progressive enhancement, content prioritization, and improved accessibility.StatusMobile Friendly[To be determined]1.29.5PWAs_956e70c6-bb13-11ef-9f98-e6f670babdf6PLACEHOLDER_81Success Criterion - Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) (Machine Testable) ^^ A PWA has been either chosen or rejected based on whether it be more sustainable and compatible over a native mobile application.StatusChosen/Rejected[To be determined]Web DevelopmentReduce front-end and back-end sustainability impacts of web development_9654b05e-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea002Web DevelopersWeb Development ^^ Web developers are typically the implementors of ideas and concepts. With the ability to dictate code practices at the front-end and back-end, the ability to impact the visitor and sustainability of a product or service is unquestionable. ^^ With the ability to implement code-based solutions, developers can: ^^ * Optimize code for accessibility, performance, security, and other PPP targets. ^ * Reduce the burden of solutions on hardware (and their requirements). ^ * Provide technical features that increase digital sustainability. ^^ By adhering to the below guidelines, individuals can make a significant difference in the reduction of front-end and back-end sustainability impacts.Technical IndicatorsIdentify Relevant Technical Indicators_9654b09a-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea002.1Performance is a key part of the sustainability mindset as reductions in loading times can have a considerable impact on energy loads within CPU, GPU, RAM, and hard drive caching (among other variables), as such ensuring a performant product is essential.2.1.1Goals_43e3edec-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_82Success Criterion - Performance Goals (Machine Testable) ^^ Explcit goals that impact the environment and performance of the service, for example, HTTP requests, or the amount of DOM elements that need to be rendered are both set and met.StatusEstablished[To be determined]2.1.2Energy Intensity_6c7bcf52-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_83Success Criterion - Accountancy Types (Machine Testable) ^^ Because the payload being delivered may not always be equal in terms of energy intensity, operators of websites and applications must ensure that consideration is given for the energy intensity (or unit being evaluated) of each component. For example, non-rendering text is less computational than CSS, which in turn is less process-heavy than JavaScript, which is less resource-heavy than WebGL.StatusConsidered[To be determined]HTML, CSS & JavaScriptMinify Your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript_220df994-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.2Whitespace holds no value when it's being presented to the visitor (unless they view the source code), by using minification, valuable data savings can be made which will reduce loading times. ^^ Success Criterion - Minify Code (Machine Testable) ^^ All source code is minified upon compilation (including inline code)._43e3efea-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_84[To be determined]Code-SplittingUse Code-Splitting Within Projects_220dfb10-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.3When dealing with heavy components (such as JavaScript), the ability to modularize them into smaller pieces that can be loaded as and when required reduces the amount of redundancy and serves as a great way to make your scripts more sustainable.2.3.1_43e3f558-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_85Success Criterion - Code Splitting (Machine Testable) ^^ Breakdown bandwidth-heavy components into segments that can be loaded as required.[To be determined]Tree ShakingApply Tree Shaking To Code_220dff98-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.4Often when coding, projects can accumulate clutter and functions that are no longer used (due to newer, more effective features being developed). By utilizing tree shaking techniques, all the "dead wood" will be automatically dropped upon compilation, reducing a file's size.2.4.1_43e3fc1a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_86Success Criterion - Remove Redundancy (Machine Testable) ^^ Identify and eliminate unused and dead code within CSS and JavaScript.[To be determined]SolutionsEnsure Your Solutions Are Accessible_220e0038-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.5Not everyone can access services equally, being sustainable is also about being accessible, fair, ethical, and ensuring that your product or service doesn't discriminate. As such, ensuring your website complies with best practices and relevant laws whilst meeting the needs of your visitors is critical as well as good business.2.5.1_43e3fe7c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_87Success Criterion - Accessibility Compliance (Machine Testable) ^^ Your website or application must conform to WCAG (at the necessary level), plus extend beyond to obey relevant laws and meet additional visitor accessibility requirements. Building inclusively means that people with permanent, temporary, or situational disabilities will be able to more quickly find what they are looking for, and not have to spend extra time searching for a way to use your product or service.[To be determined]2.5.2_6c7bdd80-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_88Success Criterion - Enhancing Accessibility (Machine Testable) ^^ Enhance your website or application with Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) ONLY if applicable or necessary, and accessibility enhancing features when useful or beneficial.[To be determined]2.5.3_6c7be4ce-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_89Success Criterion - Electronic Inequalities (Human Testable) ^^ Deploy solutions that fight against electronic inequalities in products and services.[To be determined]DuplicationAvoid Code Duplication_220e01d2-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.6Redundancy is the enemy of sustainability. Having systems in place to ensure that everyone can work from established patterns, the website or application remains clean and easy to use, and iteration over redesign is firmly in the mindset that will help promote sustainable practices. It's also worth being wary of abstracting code too early (see AHA methodology) or incorrectly, as while good abstractions can be more efficient, poor ones can waste effort and introduce complexity, bloat, and bugs to your codebase which can lead to emissions.2.6.1_43e4044e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_90Success Criterion - Remove Or Simplify (Human Testable) ^^ Remove or simplify (through rewriting for performance) your code to focus on essential features and have a cleaner, less redundant product (and codebase).[To be determined]2.6.2_6c7bee24-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_91Success Criterion - Iteration Over Recreation (Human Testable) ^^ Improve (iterate) an existing creation rather than constantly redeveloping and redesigning products from scratch (duplication of coding effort) if possible to reduce visitor learning burden and developer impact.[To be determined]2.6.3_6c7bf824-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_92Success Criterion - Organize Code Arrangement (Machine Testable) ^^ Within CSS and JavaScript, use methodologies (like BEM) and systems like DRY and WET to optimize the arrangement and output of your source code.[To be determined]Third-Party ServicesRigorously Assess Third-Party Services_a01fe62e-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea002.7Third-Party ServicesWhether advertising, chatbots, maps, or other tooling; outsourcing your service to a third-party provider may be potentially useful in certain scenarios in reducing design or development time and redundancy (which can be a win for sustainability). Third-party services, however, come with issues, such as the lack of control over emissions, and they often can potentially suffer from latency and large file sizes which may not exist if you self-hosted or created the material.2.7.1_43e40bec-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_93Success Criterion - Assess Third-Parties (Machine Testable) ^^ Third-party services (including plugins, widgets, feeds, maps, carousels, etc) have been assessed as early in the ideation or creation process as possible and as few of them are used as possible to reduce the product or service's overall ecological impact, including Scope 3 emissions.[To be determined]2.7.2_6c7bfacc-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_94Success Criterion - Third-party Implementation (Machine Testable) ^^ Third-party content (including plugins, widgets, feeds, maps, carousels, etc) should be placed behind a click-to-load delay screen (using the "import on interaction" pattern), while alternatives to automated solutions such as chatbots should be offered.[To be determined]2.7.3_6c7c0256-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_95Success Criterion - Libraries And Frameworks (Machine Testable) ^^ Large CSS libraries and JavaScript frameworks are only be used if a more performant alternative that achieves the same goal cannot be used instead.[To be determined]2.7.4_6c7c0bac-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_96Success Criterion - Self-Hosting (Machine Testable) ^^ Self-hosted content has been prioritized over embedded content from third-party services.[To be determined]2.7.6_6c7c0e72-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_97Success Criterion - Avoiding Dependency (Machine Testable) ^^ Your own clickable icons and widgets have been created, rather than relying on third-party services to host or allow embedding within your product or service.[To be determined]2.7.7_6c7c1566-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_98Success Criterion - Third-party Preferences (Machine Testable) ^^ Third-party products, services, libraries, and frameworks are often a source of sustainability issues that cannot be controlled or managed by the first-party provider of a service. While many do provide benefits to a website, the need to justify their inclusion must be made not only by those creating the product or service but also be able to be controlled by the consumer. As showcased with cookies, websites or applications can provide a similar mechanism of disabling or refusing non-first-party features (with explanations of their purpose) - unless such features can be proven as critical for functionality.[To be determined]HTML ElementsUse HTML Elements Correctly_220e056a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.8HTML semantics are important. They don't just play a key role in making the Web look the way it does, they have a function in accessibility, SEO, and even in sustainability. Ensuring that you markup your content correctly and avoid cluttering your markup wastefully will reduce emissions.2.8.1_43e4120e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_99Success Criterion - Semantic Code (Machine Testable) ^^ Content must be marked up semantically using the right HTML element for the right job.[To be determined]2.8.2_6c7c1dcc-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_100Success Criterion - Optional Features (Machine Testable) ^^ Remove optional HTML tags (which aren't required for rendering), attribute quotes, or attributes that are set to their default value.[To be determined]2.8.3_6c7c2088-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_101Success Criterion - Avoid Non-standard Code (Machine Testable) ^^ Avoid using non-standard elements or attributes.[To be determined]2.8.4_6c7c2768-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_102Success Criterion - Custom Code (Human Testable) ^^ Only use custom elements or Web Components if you cannot utilize native HTML elements or if you need tightly regulated control over the implementation of design system components.[To be determined]Render BlockingResolve Render Blocking Content_220e0600-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.9The ability to work around render-blocking issues is a great addition to the web. From deferring code, to lazy loading, to asynchronous loading, each has its use case and each can have the potential to reduce or give performance benefits to a website or application.2.9.1_43e419d4-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_103Success Criterion - Asynchronous Code (Machine Testable) ^^ All external assets have been deferred or set to async (unless required) to avoid Flash Of Unstyled Content (FOUC).[To be determined]2.9.2_6c7c30be-c40e-11ef-ba43-6e758fbabdf6PLACEHOLDER_104Success Criterion - Priority Loading (Machine Testable) ^^ If external resources are required on load, their priorities (delivery route) are set correctly.[To be determined]Way-FindingProvide Code-Based Way-Finding Mechanisms_220e0790-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.10Helping visitors avoid wasting their time can reduce the number of emissions from time spent in front of a screen. As such, by using existing technologies like metadata, robots files, and accessibility-friendly aids within the page, improvements to the experience can be made. ^^ Success Criterion - Metadata And Microdata (Machine Testable) ^^ Metadata and microdata for search engines and social media have been optimized. ^^ Success Criterion - Search Engines (Machine Testable) ^^ Search engines are not obstructed, while ill-intentioned robots and scripts are blocked. ^^ Success Criterion - Accessibility Aids (Machine Testable) ^^ Accessibility and usability aids are provided to find content, such as skip links and signposts._43e4210e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_105[To be determined]ValidationValidate Form Errors and External Input_220e0b28-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.11Entering information on a page can lead to problems. If a visitor makes a mistake along the way, it makes good sense to have systems in place to guide them through resolving the typos, confusion, and glitches that can occur which lead to abandonment and extra emissions through wasted device usage. ^^ Success Criterion - Error Validation (Machine Testable) ^^ Errors are identified through live validation as well as upon submission. ^^ Success Criterion - Label Elements (Machine Testable) ^^ Required elements are clearly identified and labeled (for the benefit of voice tools such as screen readers and virtual assistants), and optional elements (if unnecessary) removed. ^^ Success Criterion - Allow Paste (Machine Testable) ^^ Always allow the pasting of content (including passwords) from external sources._43e42334-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_106[To be determined]MetadataUse Metadata Correctly_220e0bbe-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.12Search engines and social networks make use of the content within a website, by ensuring that your metadata is correctly marked up, you can reduce emissions by improving way-finding. ^^ Success Criterion - Required Elements (Machine Testable) ^^ Include the required title element, plus any optional HTML head elements (such as link). ^^ Success Criterion - Meta Tags (Machine Testable) ^^ Include necessary meta tag references that search engines and social networks recognize, using a recognized name scheme such as Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI), Friend Of A Friend (FOAF), or RDFa. ^^ Success Criterion - Structured Data (Machine Testable) ^^ Embed Microdata, Structured Data (Schema), or Microformats within your pages._43e42b2c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_107[To be determined]User PreferencesAdapt to User Preferences_220e0d4e-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.13Sustainability benefits can be generated in numerous ways, by making sure that your website adheres to the requests made by a browser for specific conditions to be taken into account (such as CSS media and preference queries), you can unlock benefits for the visitor, and as a by-product reduce your emissions. It's worth noting that the introduction of user preferences and APIs has increased the risk of visitor fingerprinting and privacy issues. ^^ Success Criterion - Media and Preference Queries (Machine Testable) ^^ Apply the monochrome, prefers-contrast, prefers-color-scheme, prefers-reduced-data, prefers-reduced-transparency, and prefers-reduced-motion CSS preference queries if they will benefit your website or application. Use the print & scripting CSS media queries if they will improve the sustainability of your website._43e43298-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_108[To be determined]Devices & LayoutsDevelop a Device-Adaptable Layout_220e10f0-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.14Visitors approach our products and services on a wide variety of devices these days. Ensuring that your device works on the widest range of devices and differing screen resolutions ensures that you will have a compatible website or application. A Device-Adaptable approach goal is to provide a consistent, adaptable experience across a full range of devices by considering all screen sizes and resolutions from the start, rather than primarily focusing on mobile scaling upward. ^^ Success Criterion - Device-Adaptable (Machine Testable) ^^ Allow a website or app to work and adapt seamlessly across a variety of devices and screen sizes, including mobile, desktop, smart TVs, and other emerging platforms. Ensures that content and functionality are accessible and optimized on both smaller mobile screens and larger displays without limiting accessibility, usability or design on any specific device type. It is essential to implement robust fallback strategies to ensure that the website or application will not fail if it encounters unsupported technologies. ^^ Success Criterion - Progressive Enhancement (Machine Testable) ^^ Regardless of the approach or combination of approaches used, such as Adaptive Design, Mobile-First Design, or Dynamic Serving, it's essential to ensure overall sustainability through progressive enhancement. ^^ Success Criterion - Carbon Aware Design (Machine Testable) ^^ To maximize the use of renewable energy, adapt your website or service to electricity availability using carbon-aware design techniques. This should include using situational design to reduce the codebase disable non-essential functionality during high-intensity periods or adapting the user-interface to perform better in situations where scaling hardware resources can be avoided to reduce emissions. It can also include designing algorithms that can auto-disable features based on set thresholds. ^^ Success Criterion - Alternative Browsing (Machine Testable) ^^ Support other indirect methods of interaction such as voice (speech), code (QR, etc), reader view (browser, application, or RSS), or connected technology (watch, appliance, transport, etc)._43e434dc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_109[To be determined]JavaScript & APIsUse Beneficial JavaScript and Its APIs_220e1190-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.15When new best practices or if beneficial scripting guidance exists that will improve the visitor experience, following it should be of the highest priority (only using scripts ethically should be promoted). ^^ Success Criterion - Beneficial JavaScript (Machine Testable) ^^ Improve sustainability through accessible and performant code implementations. ^^ Success Criterion - API Requests (Human Testable) ^^ When using an API, make sure you only call it when necessary. On the other side, make sure no unrequired data is sent by the API._43e43ac2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_110[To be determined]Scripts & SecurityEnsure Your Scripts Are Secure_220e132a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.16The dangers of scripting are well known, and vulnerabilities are discovered with increasing regularity. As such, it's of ethical benefit for authors to ensure all code used regularly passes security processes. ^^ Success Criterion - Script Security (Machine Testable) ^^ Check the code for vulnerabilities, exploits, header issues, and code injection._43e44378-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_111[To be determined]DependenciesManage Dependencies Appropriately_220e16cc-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.17While JavaScript may not cause the most website bloat, it can cause very high emissions in terms of CPU load due to the rendering process, thereby it makes sense to consider the use of dependencies and third-party code carefully. ^^ Success Criterion - Dependency Management (Machine Testable) ^^ Prevent developers from downloading and installing JavaScript libraries to run locally (client-side) when they are not needed by checking for unused dependencies and uninstalling those that aren't needed and removing them from your package.json file. ^^ Success Criterion - Dependency Necessity (Machine Testable) ^^ Only use libraries where necessary as this will reduce the amount of JavaScript that has to be downloaded and parsed by the browser. Consider whether you can use a native JavaScript API instead. Check the package size, and whether individual modules can be installed and imported rather than the whole library. ^^ Success Criterion - Dependency Updates (Machine Testable) ^^ Regularly check dependencies and keep them up-to-date._43e445da-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_112[To be determined]Files & ExpectationInclude Files That Are Automatically Expected_220e1776-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.18Search engines and browsers regularly examine websites, requesting specific files by default (they expect them to exist). If the files don't exist, this will lead to potential errors and emissions being caused when they could be created, especially as the files offer SEO, user-experience, and other benefits to visitors. ^^ Success Criterion - Expected File Formats (Machine Testable) ^^ Include the favicon.ico, robots.txt, opensearch.xml, site.webmanifest, and sitemap.xml documents._43e44be8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_113[To be determined]FormatsUse Plaintext Formats When Appropriate_a01fe66a-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea002.19Several small assets can be included within a website, conferring a range of benefits upon the website or application that utilizes them. They each have a low carbon footprint, so while they do create emissions, it's worth including them for the benefits they provide. ^^ Success Criterion - Beneficial File Formats (Machine Testable) ^^ Include standards such as ads.txt, carbon.txt, humans.txt, security.txt and robots.txt._43e453e0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_114[To be determined]CodeAvoid Using Deprecated or Proprietary Code_220e1910-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.20The Web is full of dead, often proprietary code, created using standards that have been superseded or by groups that aren't recognized. By following recognized coding standards, you ensure that your code will be rendered properly by browsers (and reduce the potential for added emissions occurring from unmaintained rendering processes). ^^ Success Criterion - Deprecated Code (Machine Testable) ^^ Exclude deprecated formats and standards, the only exception being if consumer support demands maintaining older standards to provide a functional product. ^^ Success Criterion - Outdated Code (Machine Testable) ^^ Don't use an older standard if a newer recommendation will do the same job as / or more effectively._43e4562e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_115[To be determined]Technical RequirementsAlign Technical Requirements With Sustainability Goals_220e1cbc-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.21Every product or service is different, and each will require a different set of tooling to accomplish the most sustainable result. Deciding whether to go with a bulky framework, Static Site Generator (SSG), or a Content Management System (CMS) takes careful planning based on client or service requirements. ^^ Success Criterion - Identify Requirements (Machine Testable) ^^ Identify the requirements and from this, choose the implementation of the product or service. A simpler technological implementation may use more human resources but could have a smaller footprint. A prebuilt solution may use more system resources (and thereby produce more emissions upon render) but have a faster build-time (emitting less carbon during development). ^^ Success Criterion - Optimized Methodology (Human Testable) ^^ As a general rule, coding from scratch is the best-performing methodology (though if an existing solution is actively maintained, it may be better optimized than what you could produce). Therefore, use native components and file systems to a WYSIWYG editor or heavy framework, and be considerate of the impact of third-party solutions. ^^ Success Criterion - Static VS Dynamic (Human Testable) ^^ If choosing a code generation tool, use a Static Site Generator in preference to a bulky content management system. Because SSGs often start using a minimalist content entry format (like markdown) and all of the compilation is done before the website is uploaded, the emissions benefit comes from the server not having to place as much effort into serving pages (as they are static) for each visitor. In the case of a CMS, the dynamic nature of a site will involve additional computation (server-side processing) and bulkier libraries. ^^ Success Criterion - Expandability Considerations (Machine Testable) ^^ Plugins, extensions, and themes have been carefully reviewed and selected to maximize interoperability, accessibility, and performance. They are regularly audited over time to ensure continued compatibility. ^^ Success Criterion - Interface Impact (Human Testable) ^^ All the components of the user-interface are the subject of special attention in terms of its sustainability impact while respecting accessibility and the performance of such components._43e45c0a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_116[To be determined]LanguageUse the Latest Stable Language Version_220e1d70-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.22Languages evolve regularly, and it's important for security and performance reasons to keep on top of the technology stack you are using. It's also important to consider whether the language you are using is appropriate or optimized for the task you wish to use it for. ^^ Success Criterion - Versioning (Machine Testable) ^^ Use the latest build of your chosen syntax language and its coupled framework. ^^ Success Criterion - Language Choice (Human Testable) ^^ Use the most appropriate programming language for a task. Many tools and programming languages are optimized for performing particular tasks, and utilizing those most appropriate to the problem, especially if there is a reasonable visitor base involved justifies the time and effort, as long as it doesn't impact PPP factors such as the well-being of those involved or become too cost prohibitive._43e463f8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_117[To be determined]Native FeaturesTake Advantage of Native Features_220e1f0a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.23Ensuring that your code is free of redundancy by using pre-existing functionality provided by the web browser is important as it will help you to reduce the amount of time wasted, re-creating the same components, this offers obvious sustainability benefits in terms of time in front of the screen. ^^ Success Criterion - Native Over Custom (Machine Testable) ^^ Use native functions, APIs, and features over writing your own._43e46664-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_118[To be determined]QueriesRun Fewer, Simpler Queries As Possible_220e22de-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea002.24Making multiple requests whether HTTP or within a database has a carbon cost as infrastructure has to send that information back and forth. As such, managing how you store and use data locally for a visitor will help reduce wasted cycles. ^^ Success Criterion - Database Queries (Human Testable) ^^ If you need information that is stored in a database, and you require it (or it's likely to be requested) more than once in your code, access the database only once, and store the data locally for subsequent processing. Also, avoid reliance on framework helpers that might defer filtering to later on in the process._43e46c5e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_119[To be determined]Hosting, Infrastructure & SystemsReduce back-end sustainability impacts of hosting, infrastructure and systems_9654b0e0-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea003DevOps (Developer Operations) and hosting providers work to ensure that the infrastructure for a product or service meets its demands. Having the ability to decide where content will be housed along with managing its interaction with browsers provides numerous sustainability-related decisions of benefit to all. ^^ Being able to manage infrastructure allows individuals to: ^^ * Find sustainable providers for hosting, CDNs, and other third-party solutions. ^ * Settings can be managed from the back-end for caching, compression, and error handling. ^ * Tasks can be handled optimally by having good processes in place. ^^ By adhering to the below guidelines, individuals can make a significant difference in the reduction of back-end sustainability impacts.HostingChoose a Sustainable Hosting Provider_9654b126-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea003.1Hosting ProvidersIn addition to reducing the environmental impacts of a website, choose a hosting service that mitigates the remaining impacts. To make sure of this, there are many criteria to look for. ^^ Success Criterion - Monitor Metrics (Machine Testable) ^^ To assess the environmental impacts of hosting and detect overconsumption, some indicators are monitored: energy / water usage, CPU / Memory usage, allocation of servers and CPU cores, etc. These indicators are used to calculate metrics directly related to environmental impacts, such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), and Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE). They are displayed to visitors for transparency and monitoring reasons. If possible (to reduce redundancy) the ability to scale packages based on usage requirements is made available (manually or automatically) to reduce wasted resources. ^^ Success Criterion - Equipment Longevity (Human Testable) ^^ Equipment is managed responsibly by keeping it as long as possible, using it as efficiently as possible, making sure it is certified, and purchasing long-lifespan products. ^^ Success Criterion - Recycling Waste (Human Testable) ^^ Waste (including equipment) is recovered, recycled, and upcycled. ^^ Success Criterion - Renewable Electricity (Machine Testable) ^^ Electricity comes entirely from sources with the lowest possible carbon intensity (ideally generated by wind or solar rather than from non-renewable sources). For example, Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) can help verify the source, or, ideally, prove that electricity comes directly from renewable sources. ^^ Success Criterion - Remaining Emissions (Human Testable) ^^ Remaining emissions are compensated, keeping in mind that the priority should be to avoid then reduce them and only compensate for them if they cannot be avoided. Carbon credits may not be sustainable, therefore the effectiveness of an offset solution must be verified, shown to be both environmentally viable and sustainable, and part of a longer-term strategy to eliminate emissions entirely from a chain, benefitting the wider ecosystem._43e474ec-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_120[To be determined]CachingOptimize Browser Caching_220e239c-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.2Browser caching reduces the requirement for files to need to be constantly reloaded from the server, and in certain situations, it can even allow for files to be viewed offline (or in the case of a reverse proxy, send immediate recurring requests without additional calculation or computation from the server). As such, this will have sustainability and performance benefits (for instance by greatly reducing Time-To-First-Byte). ^^ Success Criterion - Server-side Caching (Machine Testable) ^^ If using a CMS, install an applicable plugin to enable on-the-fly server-side caching. Otherwise, use the provided server configuration files to include and tweak the file-type cache expiration using expires, bfcache, or cache-control HTTP header. If using a language or framework that generates pages on request, cache responses for static pages so that they can be reused for future visitors. ^^ Success Criterion - Offline Access (Machine Testable) ^^ Client-side JavaScript uses a combination of ServiceWorkers, WebWorkers, storage Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), or cookies (if necessary) to streamline the user-journey. For example, through the use of a PWA (Progressive Web Application) to ensure that an offline version is available and accessible at all times to reduce inequality and improve accessibility._43e47776-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_121[To be determined]CompressionCompress Your Files_220e25ae-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.3Every file will take up a certain amount of room on a server's hard drive, and this data will need to be sent across the wire to each visitor. Doing so will consume resources, but by using compression algorithms you can shrink each file to make its journey less impactful. ^^ Success Criterion - Server-side Compression (Machine Testable) ^^ If using a CMS, install an applicable plugin to enable on-the-fly server-side compression, such as Brotli or GZIP. Otherwise, use the provided server configuration files to include and tweak the performance-related features to the requirements. ^^ Success Criterion - Media Compression (Machine Testable) ^^ Compress your various images, fonts, audio, and video; by reducing the quality and offering different resolutions / dimensions (sizes) before uploading to a server or content management system._43e47da2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_122[To be determined]Errors & RedirectsUse Error Pages and Redirects Carefully_220e298c-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.4Navigation errors lead to mistakes, which lead to visitors wasting time trying to resolve them, or abandoning a website altogether. Anything that can be done to interject, predict, and way-find around potential problems will reduce emissions over time. ^^ Success Criterion - Error Pages (Machine Testable) ^^ Maintain sites by ensuring links are correct, and if errors occur, provide suitable way-finding within optimized pages for each error type to ensure resources can be identified to help visitors complete the task they started. ^^ Success Criterion - Redirection (Machine Testable) ^^ Redirect websites, subdomains, and pages only when necessary. Proactively seek broken or outdated links and fix them. A redirect or search will often help reduce the number of pages a visitor needs to load._43e48554-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_123[To be determined]EnvironmentsLimit Usage of Additional Environments_220e2a54-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.5Decommission or switch off additional environments, such as testing / QA (Quality Assurance) / re-production and other such environments when they are not useful. ^^ Success Criterion - Unused Environments (Human Testable) ^^ Ensure no unused environment is available, balancing the cost of deploying an environment with the cost of keeping it online while unused._43e487ca-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_124[To be determined]AutomationAutomate To Fit the Needs_220e2c0c-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.6Any tasks, especially repetitive, that can be automated should be automated (compilation, deployment, tests, etc.) to reduce time at the computer being wasted by people. ^^ Success Criterion - Automate Tasks (Human Testable) ^^ Every recurring task, such as deployment, testing, or compilation, is run automatically, as recommended by continuous integration / continuous delivery best practices. ^^ Success Criterion - Necessitate Tasks (Human Testable) ^^ To reduce wasted processing cycles, every automated task is only run when needed. ^^ Success Criterion - Automated Scaling (Human Testable) ^^ Automated scaling infrastructure is used to automatically increase the capacity of the web server and buffering / throttling is implemented to respond to visitor demand. ^^ Success Criterion - Security Tooling (Machine Testable) ^^ Web browsing from bots has been steadily increasing in recent years. As such, it is a growing concern for security, performance, and sustainability. Use security tools that automatically block bad actors and minimize bad behavior. This results in substantially less load on the server, fewer logs, less data, less effect due to compromise, and more. The result of compromised websites is a large increase in HTTP, email, and other traffic as malicious code attempts to infiltrate other resources and exfiltrate data. Compromised websites are typically identified by anomalous patterned behavior._43e48dce-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_125[To be determined]RefreshmentMaintain a Relevant Refresh Frequency_a01fe6a6-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea003.7Only send data from the server when the visitor needs it. As much as possible, you can rely on client-side or server-side cache and client-side / local storage. Rather than refreshing data on a given frequency, it might be up to the visitor to manually ask for a refresh. ^^ Success Criterion - Refresh Frequency (Machine Testable) ^^ The frequency for refresh (of both the cache, locally stored data, and the page) is defined depending on visitor needs._43e495d0-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_126[To be determined]DataBe Mindful of Duplicate Data_220e2fea-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.8For security reasons and in accordance with a Service-Level Agreement (SLA), it is often recommended to duplicate data to make sure it remains available if a problem occurs. This should be balanced with the cost of such duplication. Not all data is critical and, rather than overcompensating with multiple saves, duplication should be designed with efficiency in mind. ^^ Success Criterion - Data Backups (Human Testable) ^^ Backups of system and user data are both incremental and secure._43e49864-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_127[To be determined]Processing & CommunicationEnable Asynchronous Processing and Communication_220e30b2-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.9Depending on carbon intensity, some processes and communications should be delayed and sometimes batched. This could also be a way to reduce the workload on a server or Virtual Machine (VM). In such cases, visitors should be warned that the process is asynchronous and notified when it is over. ^^ Success Criterion - Batch Processing (Human Testable) ^^ By default, non-critical processes and communications are batched and launched only when carbon intensity is under a given threshold. ^^ Success Criterion - Protocol Usage (Machine Testable) ^^ The communication protocols used are relevant to the visitor's needs and data transferred. Avoid using insecure protocols (HTTP, FTP), and prioritize more efficient and privacy-aware data routes for visitors (HTTPS, SSH). ^^ Success Criterion - Event-Driven Architecture (Human Testable) ^^ When creating products or services that utilize state changes (without triggering a complete refresh), if the utilization of Event-Driven Architecture and Microservices will be more environmentally friendly (based on the PPP variables involved) than traditional APIs in handling the server-side workload of your solution, use it._43e49eea-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_128[To be determined]CachingConsider CDNs and Edge Caching_220e326a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.10Edge caching and CDN delivery can help optimize the sustainable delivery of digital services by optimizing how your website's traffic is transferred over the internet. ^^ Success Criterion - Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) (Machine Testable) ^^ When building for a globally distributed audience, use a CDN to store and serve simple read-only, pre-generated resources in a fast and efficient manner. Although they definitely can increase performance, it is also another layer of infrastructure that needs to be considered for sustainability. ^^ Success Criterion - Sustainability Commitment (Machine Testable) ^^ Verify that the CDN provides a commitment to sustainability. ^^ Success Criterion - Local Servers (Machine Testable) ^^ A hosting provider was chosen with servers located close to the visitor, considering that if you only serve a local audience, the need for distributed content (CDNs) that duplicate your materials globally may not be worthwhile. ^^ Success Criterion - Avoid Caching Inappropriate Resources (Machine Testable) ^^ Don't use the service to host dynamic / regularly changing resources or JavaScript (unless through a first-party host) as due to cache partitioning, cross-origin resource sharing (CORS), and other browser mechanics, any benefits are negated by weaker performance, the inability to cache or interact, and the potential introduction of security and privacy issues to be introduced. This doesn't affect JSON or other static assets. ^^ Success Criterion - Process Data Close to the Source (Human Testable) ^^ All information passed between the layers of an application incurs a cost, both in terms of data transferred, and CPU cycles for (de)serialization. Wherever possible, data transformations must be performed close to the source to reduce these costs and avoid processing data that will later be discarded._43e4a700-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_129[To be determined]InfrastructureUse the Lowest Infrastructure Tier Meeting Business Requirements_220e3652-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.11Select infrastructure with minimal specifications meeting business requirements of performance, availability, etc. ^^ Success Criterion - Lowest Requirements (Human Testable) ^^ Select infrastructure elements with the lowest requirements tier, meeting your service-level agreements. Avoid over-provisioning multi-datacenter, multi-zone, or distributed deployments if standalone instances meet the requirements. Also avoid provisioning infrastructure that will be under-utilized by provisioning for established average loads, ensuring reasonable resource utilization and autoscaling occurs as needed. Avoid provisioning for peak loads._43e4a9a8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_130[To be determined]StorageStore Data According to Visitor Needs_220e371a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea003.12Optimize storage of data according to what is most important, relevant, and required in service to visitors. This will help to avoid unnecessary storage of data that may not be useful or valuable, which will reduce required infrastructure, power, and data transfer. ^^ Success Criterion - Reduce Redundancy (Human Testable) ^^ Remove unnecessary and redundant data from your servers, whether it is single-use (dark data) or abandoned. ^^ Success Criterion - Expiration Dates (Machine Testable) ^^ Create data with an expiration date. Excess data is a form of technical debt, and routinely cleaning up old data needs to be normalized. ^^ Success Criterion - Classify And Tag (Machine Testable) ^^ Use a data classification / tagging policy to make it easier to find, handle, and remove. ^^ Success Criterion - Justify Storage (Human Testable) ^^ Store data only when it is difficult to recreate. ^^ Success Criterion - Optimize Logging (Machine Testable) ^^ Optimize log collection, storage (off-site), and rotation; scheduling during low-activity hours and using carbon-neutral backup providers. ^^ Success Criterion - Asset Downloads (Human Testable) ^^ Ensure long-term assets, especially those of a large size, are made available for download._43e4afde-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_131[To be determined]Strategy & ProductsReduce non-technical sustainability impacts of business strategies and management of products_9654b216-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea004Business Strategy and Product Management ^^ For anyone who owns or operates a website or application, there are practical considerations behind such decisions, and these can have sustainable impacts. While business owners are likely to be those involved in higher-level decisions, benefits can still be found for individuals working on the Internet. ^^ Being involved in the management of a product or service gives you certain abilities: ^^ * Influencing how a project is developed at scale, in various organization sizes, to be more sustainable. ^ * The ability to raise awareness, and publicly disclose and report your efforts. ^ * You can impact change within a business and within its workers to meet PPP targets. ^^ By adhering to the below guidelines, individuals can make a significant difference in the reduction of non-technical sustainability impacts.Product StrategyHave an Ethical and Sustainability Product Strategy_9654b298-b8f2-11ef-b201-60d02d83ea004.1Create a publicly available statement in an easy-to-find location on your website that outlines a clear commitment to prioritize ethics and sustainability PPP standards that align with the organization's mission, vision, and values and include statements specific to digital products, services, policies, and programs. This should be done while actively promoting such efforts (with evidence) using social channels. ^^ Success Criterion - Statement Availability (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has published a publicly available Code of Ethics, Product Guidelines, Sustainability, or PPP Statement that includes language specific to digital products, services, policies, and programs. ^^ Success Criterion - Achievements And Compliance (Machine Testable) ^^ Achievements, features, compliance, and anything beyond the scope of these guidelines are published within a sustainability section of your product or service. ^^ Success Criterion - Governance Over Time (Human Testable) ^^ Evidence is provided by the organization showing how it effectively governs implemented digital sustainability, climate policies, and related PPP practices over time. ^^ Success Criterion - Onboarding New Members (Human Testable) ^^ Training decks and workshops are provided by the organization for onboarding new team members on how it implements more sustainable product strategies. ^^ Success Criterion - Documentation (Machine Testable) ^^ Your methodology has been documented through impact storytelling, documentation, and helping individuals make more informed decisions in order to raise awareness with your visitors. ^^ Success Criterion - Renewable Showcasing (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization can show how it powers digital products and services with renewable energy._43e4b84e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_132[To be determined]Sustainability RepresentativeAssign a Sustainability Representative_220e38dc-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.2Sustainability RepresentativesHaving someone within an organization who represents sustainability as a core agenda makes good sense due to the accessibility, performance, financial, and other benefits that can occur from following best practices. If the resources are available, a climate Working Group with willing participants could also be established. ^^ Success Criterion - Ecological Referee (Machine Testable) ^^ An ecological referee (with specific digital expertise) for the product or service within your organization has been assigned and empowered with the tools they require (resources, budget, time, etc.) to achieve their stated goals._43e4bb00-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_133[To be determined]Awareness & InformationRaise Awareness and Inform_220e3cc4-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.3Businesses should not only reference their own materials showcasing how they are working towards becoming sustainable but cite existing sustainability best practices to help others looking to make similar changes within their own work or personal environments. ^^ Success Criterion - Inform And Aware (Human Testable) ^^ All project stakeholders, including product teams, colleagues, and organizational decision-makers (managers and clients) are informed about and trained in both general and digital climate literacy, including your business's use of sustainable technology. ^^ Success Criterion - Trained And Prepared (Human Testable) ^^ Active and routine training is delivered where possible to develop, establish, and refresh skills in sustainability. This can be undertaken through in-house training, courses, workshops, events, webinars, meetups, or other ongoing or on-demand methods to empower your team to deliver on sustainability objectives. ^^ Success Criterion - Active Participation (Machine Testable) ^^ Stakeholders have been actively encouraged to reduce their environmental impact, share climate and sustainable initiatives and ideas, and resources on sustainable design, best practices, and concepts are provided to assist with this task._43e4c14a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_134[To be determined]Ecological ImpactsCommunicate the Ecological Impact of User Choices_220e3da0-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.4Allowing the visitor to take action to reduce their emissions is key to helping them play a part in becoming more sustainable. By helping them identify when choices they make could have an environmental impact (and by how much) and then providing them with the tooling choices to reduce their footprint, you can empower them to make a lasting difference. ^^ Success Criterion - Impact Communication (Human Testable) ^^ The ecological implications of visitor choices have been clearly communicated and visitors can configure settings based on those choices._43e4cadc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_135[To be determined]Environmental ImpactEstimate a Product or Service's Environmental Impact_220e3f6c-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.5Being able to identify key issues with your website or application is essential, and while not a foolproof method, using tooling can help you achieve an overall idea about the state of your product or service's environmental state (as such tools can do for accessibility). ^^ Success Criterion - Life-cycle Analysis (Human Testable) ^^ A full life-cycle Analysis based on the functional unit defined in Guideline 5.15 has been conducted. ^^ Success Criterion - Competitor Impact (Machine Testable) ^^ The environmental impact of your or a competitor's current service to inform decision-making (as a potential target goal) has been calculated. ^^ Success Criterion - Tooling Impact (Human Testable) ^^ When identifying the environmental impact of your product or service, you must include the impact (or estimates of) of any tooling used to create the product or service along with any third-party solutions utilized in the pipeline. While not created by you, the emissions they generate from production to maintenance are considered integral to your overall solution._43e4cdac-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_136[To be determined]Goals & MetricsDefine Clear Organizational Sustainability Goals and Metrics_a01fe6ec-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea004.6Define sustainability goals for the organization to meet and incorporate into its business model. Pair each goal with at least one clear, achievable metric or Key Performance Indicator (KPI). ^^ Success Criterion - Sustainability Goals (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has defined and published a clear set of sustainability goals. It publicly communicates how it will meet these goals, including which performance metrics are important to help the organization and its various stakeholders thrive._43e4d428-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_137[To be determined]Verification & CertificationsVerify Your Efforts Using Established Third-Party Business Certifications_220e4368-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.7Business certifications can fill the gaps left by incomplete sustainability legislation. Ensuring a business complies with third-party certifications will help verify and apply an objective level of rigor to an organization's sustainability efforts. ^^ Success Criterion - Certification Achievement (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has achieved one or more business sustainability certifications and incorporated operational policies and practices to support them. ^^ Success Criterion - Certification Maintenance (Human Testable) ^^ The organization maintains its certification through evolving policies and practices over time._43e4dc52-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_138[To be determined]OnboardingImplement Sustainability Onboarding Guidelines_220e444e-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.8The organization has clear onboarding and training processes that include PPP policies and practices with explicit references to digital sustainability and responsibility. Ensure that onboarding utilizes a "green by default" process and avoids being an opt-in procedure. This applies equally at an organizational level and to visitors and consumers of your products and services. ^^ Success Criterion - Training Materials (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has dedicated training manuals, workshops, and materials that outline the PPP policies and practices it follows and how to implement them. While managing and maintaining these materials over time, adapting them as new policies and practices arise. ^^ Success Criterion - Progress Incentivisation (Human Testable) ^^ The organization incentivizes leadership, teams, and stakeholders to make progress toward the goals outlined in their training, including time for sustainability activities, recognition for completion, and so on. ^^ Success Criterion - Negative Variables (Human Testable) ^^ The organization anticipates and maps potential negative external variables on the service, and acts to minimize their overall impact._43e4df2c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_139[To be determined]Disclosures & ReportingSupport Mandatory Disclosures and Reporting_220e461a-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.9The organization discloses and reports its PPP impact on at least an annual basis. ^^ Success Criterion - Policies And Practices (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has created and published policies and practices for disclosing the social and environmental impacts of its products, services, policies, and programs in line with existing reporting standards such as GRI Performance, SASB, etc. ^^ Success Criterion - Impact Report (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization produces a publicly available impact report outlining its progress against previous reports on social and environmental goals at least once per year. ^^ Success Criterion - Standards And Policies (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization publicly and transparently follows existing or emerging environmental standards and legislative policy that promotes mandatory disclosures and reporting for emissions. This is done alongside other social and environmental criteria in its impact reporting, maintaining these practices over time for future reports. ^^ Success Criterion - Impact Reduction (Human Testable) ^^ The organization clearly identifies how it reduces its environmental impact, avoiding double accounting, greenwashing, excluded data, or other manipulative techniques._43e4e5a8-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_140[To be determined]Business ModelsCreate One or More Impact Business Models_220e4a20-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.10An Impact Business Model enables an organization to incorporate specific impact initiatives into one or more business models for generating revenue, often making them "green by default" and folding impact initiatives into the organization's operating system. Moreover, being able to calculate the return on investment in terms of sustainability your product or service will bring is important to identifying whether it poses a net-positive or net-negative effect on the environment. ^^ Success Criterion - Theory Of Change (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has completed (and operationalized) a Theory of Change process with requisite documentation to identify the impact it hopes to create, how it will generate revenue, shared, or added value from these activities, how it will measure results based on desired outcomes; or in the case of launched projects, is generating revenue, actively tracking and measuring progress against any desired outcomes._43e4ee2c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_141[To be determined]ProductsFollow a Product Management and Maintenance Strategy_220e4af2-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.11The organization has clearly defined governance policies around how it manages and maintains digital products and services over time. ^^ Success Criterion - Management And Maintenance (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has documented policies outlining how it approaches product management and maintenance. ^^ Success Criterion - Planning Strategy (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has maintenance / security plans in place for all the digital products and services it manages. ^^ Success Criterion - Resourcing Products (Human Testable) ^^ The organization appropriately resources products over time via staffing and budgeting to support refactoring code, addressing technical debt, new product features, ongoing testing, and product or service maintenance plans to continue supporting its customers, visitors, and other stakeholders. ^^ Success Criterion - Resource Measurement (Human Testable) ^^ The organization incorporates carbon and resource measurement into maintenance programs and can show measurable improvement over time. ^^ Success Criterion - Failure Indicators (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has both identified and documented Key Failure Indicators (KFIs) and implements resolutions to prevent non-acceptable sustainability impacts from occurring._43e4f50c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_142[To be determined]ImprovementsImplement Continuous Improvement Procedures_a01fe728-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea004.12The organization has policies and practices in place to embrace experimentation, foster a growth mindset, support organizational agility, and provide continuous improvement. Product creators should iterate, regularly, though never at the cost of getting things done (such as working on larger, long-term features). ^^ Success Criterion - Continuous Improvement (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has created policies and practices to enable continuous improvement and has resourced the organization appropriately to support these efforts over time. ^^ Success Criterion - Agile Reviews (Human Testable) ^^ Agile sprints and update frequency have gone through a review process to ensure project teams have enough time to conduct user-research, identify technical debt, and produce quality output. ^^ Success Criterion - Iterative Consideration (Machine Testable) ^^ A track record of continuous improvement (iteration) usage to analyze your website or application while also addressing the by-products and potential consequences of ongoing experimentation, such as technical debt, product performance, emissions, and related issues is clearly visible. Analytics are limited to only necessary features to aid with decision-making, encouraging visitor feedback, and comparing performance against business goals and visitor needs. ^^ Success Criterion - Functionality Decisions (Human Testable) ^^ The retention of existing features, the creation of new functionality, and the decommission or elimination of unused functionality, and unvisited pages through the product's life cycle have been justified and prioritized on a case by case basis. ^^ Success Criterion - Security Updates (Machine Testable) ^^ Corrective security and policy updates during the product or service lifecycle are provided, while such improvements are distinguished from more extensive evolutionary updates. ^^ Success Criterion - Skills And Maintenance (Human Testable) ^^ Sustainable product and data strategies have been developed with appropriate training techniques. These should help your team (managers, colleagues, etc) build capacity and learn new skills to manage and maintain products and services over time._43e4fda4-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_143[To be determined]Updates & EvolutionsDocument Future Updates and Evolutions_220e5092-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.13Products or services are updated regularly. Ensure that additions, changes, deprecations, removals, fixes, or security patches are documented in an easy-to-read document with details that showcase how such changes affect the visitor (or how they can take advantage of new features). ^^ Success Criterion - Feature Changes (Human Testable) ^^ Adding, updating, or removing features are considered where appropriate to the user-experience of the product or service._43e5072c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_144[To be determined]NecessityEstablish if a Digital Product or Service Is Necessary_220e561e-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.14Ensure that the product or service you are creating offers value to visitors and doesn't duplicate existing functionality (without bringing something new to the table) as this redundancy wastes digital and physical resources. ^^ Success Criterion - Sustainable Development Goals (Machine Testable) ^^ The product or service identifies within a sustainability statement where it aligns with one of the U.N. (SDGs) and its appropriate targets. ^^ Success Criterion - Creation Evaluation (Human Testable) ^^ The product or service has been determined as necessary based upon desirability, feasibility, and viability factors. ^^ Success Criterion - Avoid Duplication (Human Testable) ^^ No existing digital product or service offers the same value. An analysis has been conducted if necessary to understand the market for this requirement. ^^ Success Criterion - Obstacle Consideration (Human Testable) ^^ Any obstacles to using a product or service, such as accessibility, equality, technical, or territorial have been overcome._43e50e16-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_145[To be determined]Functional UnitsDetermine the Functional Unit_220e5b46-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.15The functional unit of a product is a quantified description of the performance requirements that the product fulfills. Ensure you identify the requirements of your product before development. ^^ Success Criterion - Life-cycle Assessment (Human Testable) ^^ A life-cycle Assessment (LCA) has been conducted to define the requirements of your product's function throughout its lifecycle._43e51884-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_146[To be determined]Supplier StandardsCreate a Supplier Standards of Practice_220e6028-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.16SuppliersThe organization collaborates with suppliers, authors, clients, and other partners on initiatives that are both mutually beneficial and create positive social and environmental outcomes. ^^ Success Criterion - Vetting Potential Partners (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has created specific policies to vet potential partners in its supply chain based on PPP principles. ^^ Success Criterion - Collaborative Measurement (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has partnered with suppliers to create, track, and measure collective impact on issues that impact their stakeholders. ^^ Success Criterion - Informative Partner Promotion (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has promoted its partnerships in a publicly available place, along with information on how the partnership creates a collective impact._43e52220-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_147[To be determined]Economic BenefitsShare Economic Benefits_220e64ec-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.17The organization shares the economic benefits of its digital products, services, policies, and programs. ^^ Success Criterion - Living Wage (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization is publicly committed to paying employees, contractors, and other stakeholders a living wage. ^^ Success Criterion - Incentivisation (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has policies and practices in place to incentivize stakeholders, such as workers and contractors, to meet its impact goals. ^^ Success Criterion - Employee Benefits (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization provides benefits to employees in accordance with its resources, including, where relevant, healthcare, retirement planning, flex time, profit sharing, and so on. ^^ Success Criterion - Legislation Advocation (Human Testable) ^^ The organization advocates for responsible legislation that supports employment rights, transparency, and accountability related to sharing economic benefits._43e5293c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_148[To be determined]Decision MakingShare Decision-Making Power With Appropriate Stakeholders_a01fe778-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea004.18Ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table is important to promoting voices who may not otherwise have their voices heard, and potentially getting useful ideas from fresh sources. ^^ Success Criterion - Decision-Making (Human Testable) ^^ The project team's goals are aligned with key business objectives, and project stakeholders (for example, project managers) have the power and autonomy to make key decisions on the organization's behalf._43e53210-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_149[To be determined]JEDI PracticesUse Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (JEDI) Practices_220e66d6-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.19The organization has public policies and practices supporting racial justice, inclusion, equity, and diversity in hiring and operations. ^^ Success Criterion - JEDI Practices (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has documented its commitment to JEDI practices with clear policies on how it prioritizes marginalized or otherwise underserved communities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+, Women, Disabled, Veterans, Seniors, and so on. ^^ Success Criterion - Accessibility Policy (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has an accessibility policy for digital products and services and can show this via a verified accessible website, application, product, or service. ^^ Success Criterion - JEDI Training (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has JEDI-related training materials and schedules ongoing workshops related to how this topic manifests itself in digital products and services (algorithmic bias, digital divide, gig economy work, mis / disinformation, etc). ^^ Success Criterion - JEDI Improvements (Human Testable) ^^ The organization can show measurable JEDI improvement over time in its hiring, leadership, and operations. ^^ Success Criterion - JEDI Legislation (Human Testable) ^^ The organization advocates for responsible legislation relating to JEDI practices, especially as related to digital products and services._43e53ac6-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_150[To be determined]Data PracticesPromote Responsible Data Practices_220e6b68-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.20The organization has devised and implemented a responsible data strategy that prioritizes data privacy and promotes more ethical uses of data, including disposal and data sustainability practices. ^^ Success Criterion - Privacy Policy (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has a public-facing privacy policy in place and supports existing privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and so on. This policy must be accessible for all visitors, including those with accessibility and reading comprehension needs, and abide by plain English best practices to avoid jargon, technical language, and legalese. ^^ Success Criterion - Data Ownership (Human Testable) ^^ The organization can show measurable progress over time on how it respects data privacy and ownership, including a visitor's "right to be forgotten" and provides the ability to export data. ^^ Success Criterion - Data Protection (Human Testable) ^^ The organization supports new and emerging legislation related to data privacy, data sustainability, and responsible data practices._43e54174-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_151[To be determined]Data ManagementImplement Appropriate Data Management Procedures_220e6fb4-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.21Expired or unused data has a cost, takes up space, and requires maintenance. As such, the ability for customers to manage their own data and for service providers to manage older website material which no longer applies but might still have use will be a carbon benefit. ^^ Success Criterion - Outdated Content (Machine Testable) ^^ Outdated or otherwise expired product content and data are archived and deleted via automated expiration dates and scheduled product audits. An archiving schedule with a lighter version of the old searchable content is made available. ^^ Success Criterion - Data Controllers (Machine Testable) ^^ Users can control, manage, and delete their data, subscriptions, and accounts._43e54aca-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_152[To be determined]Emerging TechnologyPromote and Implement Responsible Emerging Technology Practices_220e764e-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.22The organization has devised and implemented responsible policies related to artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), Web3 (Decentralized Web, blockchain, etc), and related emerging technologies. ^^ Success Criterion - Emerging Technologies (Machine Testable) ^^The organization has public-facing policies in place for emerging technologies, and all such technologies are ethically sourced, screened, validated, and implemented in a non-discriminatory, responsible manner. ^^ Success Criterion - Disruptive Technology (Human Testable) ^^ The organization shows how it up-skills workers as new technologies and practices potentially disrupt its business model. ^^ Success Criterion - Technology Legislation (Human Testable) ^^ The organization supports and complies with responsible legislation related to automation and emerging technologies (such as the EU AI Act) ^^ Success Criterion - Environmental Responsibilities (Human Testable) ^^ Organizations must consider, audit, and account for any environmental considerations that may derive from the use of emerging technologies they wish to either promote or implement within a chosen setting. Also note that this should include third-party choices, the "expense" (in terms of waste or emissions) of the utilization of the technology to create a desired result and consequential issues to the environment that may arise from its deployment. ^^ Success Criterion - Quantum Resilience (Human Testable) ^^ Don't roll out post-quantum encryption for high-traffic services that don't need resilience against harvest now, decrypt later._43e55510-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_153[To be determined]Financial PoliciesInclude Responsible Financial Policies_220e7888-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.23The organization implements responsible finance strategies, including divesting from fossil fuels and appropriately resourcing digital products and services to account for long-term care and maintenance. ^^ Success Criterion - Fuel Divestment (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has divested from fossil fuels and moved its banking, sponsorship, and other affiliations to more responsible partners. ^^ Success Criterion - Responsible Finance (Human Testable) ^^ The organization engages in flexible financing and responsible budgeting for its digital products and services to accommodate long-term care and maintenance._43e55d80-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_154[To be determined]PhilanthropyInclude Organizational Philanthropy Policies_a01fe7b4-b8f4-11ef-80c7-85102e83ea004.24For-profit organizations have clear philanthropy policies and practices in place to help non-profit organizations build digital capacity and acumen while also engaging their own teams in meaningful work that promotes shared learning and stretch goals. ^^ Success Criterion - Philanthropy Policy (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has a clear corporate giving policy and creates philanthropic partnerships with strategically aligned organizations. ^^ Success Criterion - Voluntary Work (Human Testable) ^^ The organization engages in free or volunteer projects, which help its team learn new tools and tactics, while also helping charities and non-profit organizations build capacity._43e5691a-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_155[To be determined]Care & RetirementPlan for a Digital Product or Service's Care and End-of-Life_220e7da6-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.25Everything ends at some point, planning for if and when a product or service is finalized makes good ethical sense to ensure customers can be transitioned toward a replacement rather than losing access to their data. ^^ Success Criterion - End-of-life Care (Human Testable) ^^ Clear, documented end-of-life guidelines exist that include data disposal, archiving, file deletion, etc guidance._43e5743c-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_156[To be determined]Waste, Repairs & RecyclingInclude E-Waste, Right-To-Repair, and Recycling Policies_220e8206-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.26The organization addresses e-waste, right-to-repair, recycling, and related practices in its operations. ^^ Success Criterion - E-Waste Policy (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has specific policies in place to recycle e-waste and repair owned technology products whenever possible. ^^ Success Criterion - Recycling And Repairing (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has formed relationships with local partners for e-waste recycling and repair. ^^ Success Criterion - Refurbishment Strategy (Human Testable) ^^ The organization buys refurbished equipment whenever possible. ^^ Success Criterion - Right-to-Repair (Human Testable) ^^ The organization allows consumers to repair (to the best of their ability) the consumables they purchase, offering (if possible at cost) replacement components and provides clear instructions to resolve faults that occur._43e57b62-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_157[To be determined]BudgetsDefine Performance and Environmental Budgets_220e8792-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.27Setting targets and limits regarding your product or service is important for keeping a sustainable mindset. Using budgets, you can declare the remits of which you will work within to ensure your emissions do not fall outside (and monitor your progress through development).4.27.1Environmental Budget_43e5845e-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_158Success Criterion - Environmental Budget (Machine Testable) ^^ The product team has defined, baselined, and documented clear sustainability and environmental budget criteria that cover the page, user-journey, and digital service levels and metrics (such as a CO2.js score) that are approved by relevant product stakeholders.StatusDocumented[To be determined]4.27.2Performance Budget_43e58d96-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_159Success Criterion - Performance Budget (Machine Testable) ^^ Tools such as a performance budget exist to determine the maximum size (goals) your app or website can weigh to reduce the data transfer and HTTP request impact (using metrics like Google Lighthouse).StatusEstablished[To be determined]4.27.3Worker Health & Wellbeing_43e594c6-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_160Success Criterion - Human Budget (Human Testable) ^^ KPIs are defined around engineering hours, development time, or sprints keeping the health and wellbeing of your workers paramount. Consideration has been taken around optimizing your workflow sustainably to allow all tasks to be performed with care.StatusOptmized[To be determined]4.27.4Emissions_43e59e76-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_161Success Criterion - Measurable Improvements (Machine Testable) ^^ The product team can measurably show how much the budgeting process improved performance and reduced emissions.StatusReduced[To be determined]4.27.5Capacity & Maintenance_43e5a736-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_162Success Criterion - Capacity And Maintenance (Human Testable) ^^ The product team invests in resources to build capacity and maintain the budgets over time.StatusBuilt & Maintained[To be determined]ToolsUse Open Source Tools_220e8c74-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.28The organization has clear policies about using open source tools, including how it gives back to the community and responsibly manages code repositories to reduce waste.4.28.1Policy_43e5aeb6-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_163Success Criterion - Open Source Policy (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization has a clear open source policy in place that outlines how it uses open source tools and the practices it supports surrounding open source development.StatusCreated[To be determined]4.28.2Collaboration_43e5b7bc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_164Success Criterion - Collaboration (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has a track record of collaboration and community-building around open source principles.StatusConducted[To be determined]4.28.3Contributions_43e5c0cc-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_165Success Criterion - Contribution (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization regularly contributes to open source community-based projects.StatusRegularly Made[To be determined]COOPCreate a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan_220e91e2-b997-11ef-b0d2-08bd0983ea004.29Resilience of the product or service in case of a disaster or emergency should be ensured to restore and maintain operations in case of disruptions.4.29.1Plan_43e5c8c4-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_166Success Criterion - Plan of Action (Human Testable) ^^ The organization has created a plan of action that is regularly reviewed and occasionally tested to determine readiness in case of an incident and has procedures to quickly recover from such issues.StatusCreated[To be determined]4.29.2Communication_43e5d418-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6PLACEHOLDER_167Success Criterion - Audience Awareness (Machine Testable) ^^ The organization regularly maintains transparent communication with its audience regarding issues that may affect service delivery or user data.StatusMaintained[To be determined]_43e5dec2-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf62024-12-072025-01-31https://w3c.github.io/sustainableweb-wsg/_43e5e7fa-b9b2-11ef-8b64-5ea07ababdf6OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net