Designing Sustainable Digital Products: Balancing Business Goals and Environmental Responsibility

While sustainable product design is often associated with the physical objects that surround us in everyday life, it’s not just about recycled packaging and reduced use of plastic. It’s also about the impact that our digital lives are having on the environment:

• Every time we use a search engine like Google, there’s an output of greenhouse gases.

• Every email has an estimated carbon footprint of four grams of CO2.

• The average website produces 1.76 grams of CO2, per page view.

It all adds up. If the internet was a country, it would be the fourth most polluting in the world, with approximately 4% of global greenhouse emissions.

So, what can we do to create a more sustainable approach to digital usage and innovation? And where does digital product design come into all of this?

First, brands of all shapes and sizes need to realise the role they play in the sustainability agenda and that includes ‘digital’ brands.

Second, digital executives and teams need to step up and incorporate sustainability into their wider digital strategies. Senior digital executives in Large Enterprises are particularly well placed to drive positive change and spearhead sustainable initiatives in their organisations. Senior managers in marketing, digital and technology can additionally adopt holistic approaches to things like digital product launches – thereby contributing to the sustainability of digital overall, and at the same time unlocking new opportunities for growth and customer engagement.

What is sustainability in digital product design?

It’s worth taking a quick step back here to understand what sustainability means within the context of digital product design.

According to the Interaction Design Foundation, “A sustainably designed product or service is one that considers the entire lifecycle of the product during development, from manufacturing to disposal. A truly sustainable design is optimised for reuse.”

In the world of digital product design, this definition extends to how digital products are developed in the context of their power usage and how long they are designed to last with minimal carbon footprints. However, it doesn’t stop there. Sustainability in digital product design also refers to the integration of environmentally conscious and socially responsible practices throughout the entire lifecycle of a digital product.

This therefore includes:

• Minimising resource consumption in the design process itself.

• Reducing carbon footprints in the development process.

• Mitigating negative environmental impacts associated with the product’s creation, usage and disposal.

• Making informed choices regarding energy efficiency of the digital product.

• Designing for longevity and digital ‘repurposability’.

• Ensuring inclusivity, accessibility and data privacy.

• Addressing potential biases in algorithms.

• Promoting digital literacy and digital rights.

Whilst sustainability in a more traditional sense covers the environmental impact and carbon footprint of a product, when it comes to the modern-day definition of digital sustainability, this also considers issues such as accessibility and digital literacy, all of which work towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) agenda.

The business case for sustainability in digital product design

Sustainability in digital product design is a relatively new concept, in part because the environmental impact of the digital world has only been tracked for a few years. That said, if we draw a comparison from the physical product design world, where efforts to reduce environmental impact have been underway for quite some time, it’s easy to see how similar efforts in the digital space could have the same business consequences.

Sustainable initiatives and ESG goals have historically been seen as cost and labour intensive, adding extra financial burden to a company and brand. Whereas in fact, sustainable design has had the opposite effect on those large Enterprise brands implementing it.

According to a Capgemini report entitled “ Rethink: Why Sustainable Product Design Is the Need of the Hour”, brands that have moved sustainability to the top of their business agendas have also seen positive business impact:

• 73% have seen higher rates of revenue growth.

• 70% have seen an increase in customer satisfaction.

And of those taking on a more sustainable approach to product design, many have seen that it does not always lead to increased cost. In fact, 23% found that it decreased costs (Capgemini infographic).

This business impact is becoming so strong that Harvard Business Review (HBR) has coined it the ‘Triple Bottom Line’, or the ‘three Ps’ of People, Planet, and Profit. To achieve these bottom-line results, HBR outlines the 8 key business benefits of sustainable practices:

1. Driving internal innovation

2. Reducing environmental and supply risk

3. Attracting and retaining employees

4. Expanding audience reach and building brand loyalty

5. Reducing production costs

6. Garnering positive publicity

7. Standing out in a competitive market

8. Setting the industry trend

We see that the business case does not just end with positive environmental outcomes, it can also contribute to wider benefits relating to brand reputation and employee satisfaction.

How sustainable digital product designs benefit society and brands alike

Let us take a closer look at the broader benefits that a sustainability agenda can have for big brands and Large Enterprises.

Environmental impact reduction

We all know now that minimising carbon footprints and reducing energy consumption, even in digital product design, benefits the planet. But this commitment also aligns with consumer trends and buying preferences. A 2022 IBM Study found that more than half (51%) of respondents say environmental sustainability is more important to them today than it was 12 months ago.

In other words, brands that put sustainability front and centre are now increasingly likely to attract more customers and take a larger market share.

Social equity and inclusivity

As we mentioned before, sustainable digital product design extends to things like digital literacy and accessibility. Companies that prioritise these goals will not only build more empowering and stronger brands, but they will also open their market potential to wider audiences.

Enhanced user experience

Sustainable digital product design often goes hand in hand with a better User Experience (UX). By prioritising energy efficiency and performance optimisation, companies can reduce their carbon footprints while improving the overall customer journey.

Innovation and competitive advantage

Looking at digital product design in new and diverse ways encourages innovation and creativity. With novel approaches to problem-solving and digital product design also come increased market share and competitive advantage, i.e., the ability to stand out from the crowd and increase user attention and engagement.

Examples of sustainable digital product design

As we mentioned from the outset, sustainable product design and development is not just about tangible consumer products. Of course, recycled packaging, plastic alternatives and reusable products abound today! Sustainability in digital product design requires a slightly different approach and a bit of ‘thinking outside the box.’

Two companies that have already leveraged sustainability in their digital operations and product design are Western Digital and Apple.

Western Digital has recently used 4IR technologies to boost operations productivity, all without adding more machines that would have increased their carbon footprint. Moreover, they also use sensors to gather data about their digital energy consumption. This allows them to monitor usage and adjust accordingly in line with their overall sustainability goals.

Considering the broader remit of sustainability in digital product design, one of the leaders in this field is Apple, with their approach to accessibility. Their digital apps use sensory alerts, assistive touch and even headphone accommodations for hearing devices. All of which address the issue of digital literacy and accessibility and allow them to tap into a wider target audience.

How to include sustainability in the design and build of your digital products

“One thing that I’ve learned is, don’t wait to be perfect in everything to embrace sustainability or be more proactive on it,” Guy Cormier, Chair of the Board, President, and CEO of Desjardins Group, in an interview for the IBV’s 2022 CEO Study.

As Guy Cormier outlines, building sustainability into your digital strategy doesn’t require a perfectly honed plan. Just as we approach more digital design projects using iterative methodologies, so too should we adopt this mindset when including sustainability in their design and build.

Methodologies and approaches for sustainable digital product design

Several resources and methodologies already exist that can be leveraged by digital teams. These include:

• WEF Sustainability Strategy 2021 – on how to build sustainability into your digital strategy and governance approach.

• The Sustainable Web Manifesto – on how web-based products and apps can be more efficient and resilient.

• The Website Carbon Calculator – estimates your web pages’ carbon footprints.

• The Humanity-centered design principles – uncover the fundamental thinking behind issues such as accessibility and user experience.

Tactics towards digital sustainability

When it comes to taking positive steps to increase your digital sustainability and educating your teams on how to better design, develop and build sustainable digital products. It is worth starting with these 5 key tactics:

• Consider performance and efficiency – this includes reducing web page size, improving page responsiveness, and even reducing the speed of download to your user’s device.

• Always design UX for accessibility – be sure to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to make your digital product more accessible. Also, consider using fonts that are already available on your users’ devices.

• Compress media files – an easy one to do but often overlooked, not only will this help your SEO, but it will also reduce your data usage and associated energy costs.

• Minimise video and animations – whilst these formats are great for engagement, they are not great for data usage and the environment, so consider if you really do need lots of video assets on your website or digital app.

• Do not forget your servers – consider using a green cloud provider for your hosting and server needs. The Green Web Directory contains a list of web hosts that power their servers with renewable energy.

Sustainability in digital product design is no longer a nice to have – more consumers are demanding sustainable practices and becoming increasingly savvy as to the environmental impact of ‘less visible tech’ in the form of data servers and app energy usage. Sustainability in digital product design also encompasses accessibility and inclusivity – issues that big brands such as Apple are taking increasingly seriously in their digital product design.

Ultimately, sustainable digital product design aims to strike a balance between business goals, innovation, user experience, and responsible stewardship of resources and social well-being. Digital executives and teams that embrace this balance are sure to see the business benefits very soon.

Adrenalin is a leading digital product and technology agency for Australia’s top brands and organisations. Stay informed about the latest digital product trends, strategies and tactics by subscribing to the Adrenalin newsletter below.