Sustainability

Our approach to sustainability

Running websites, email and online services requires physical infrastructure and electricity. We cannot make that impact disappear, but we can make responsible choices about the infrastructure we use, reduce unnecessary consumption and support practical environmental projects here in the UK.

We believe environmental claims should be clear and honest. We do not describe our hosting as carbon neutral, and we do not claim that planting trees cancels out the emissions created by running our services.

Instead, we focus on three areas:

• choosing infrastructure powered by renewable electricity
• using efficient, shared technology wherever appropriate
• supporting the restoration of native woodland in the UK

We will continue reviewing how our services are delivered and looking for practical ways to reduce their environmental impact.

Hosting powered by renewable electricity

Our own UK server infrastructure is housed in iomart data centres in Manchester and Maidenhead.

Iomart states that all its UK data centres have been supplied with electricity matched by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin, known as REGOs, since August 2021.

Its Maidenhead facility also has 560 on-site solar panels, capable of generating up to 300 kW. Iomart reports that this installation supplies approximately 15% of the facility's overall electricity requirements and can meet the site's demand during favourable summer periods.

Alongside our own infrastructure, the managed platforms supporting some of our WordPress and email services are also operated using electricity from renewable sources.

Efficient shared infrastructure

A large part of the environmental cost of hosting comes from manufacturing equipment and powering servers, storage, cooling and networking.

Shared hosting allows many customers to use resilient infrastructure together. For most websites, this is more resource-efficient than operating an underused physical server or virtual private server for every individual customer.

We work to make sensible use of equipment throughout its serviceable life, consolidate workloads where appropriate and replace hardware when there is a genuine operational, reliability or efficiency benefit.

Our infrastructure uses technologies such as solid-state storage and high-efficiency server power supplies. Equipment that reaches the end of its useful life is sent through appropriate reuse or recycling channels wherever possible.

Renewable electricity for our home office

Our team works remotely, helping us avoid the energy use and regular commuting associated with operating a separate permanent office.

Our principal home office is supplied by Octopus Energy through its Intelligent Octopus Go green electricity tariff. The tariff also intelligently schedules electric-vehicle charging into managed off-peak periods, helping to reduce demand at busier times on the electricity grid.

Working remotely does not eliminate our environmental impact, but it allows us to operate without maintaining an additional office building solely for the business.

Restoring native woodland

We support Trees for Life, a conservation charity working to restore the Caledonian forest and its wildlife in the Scottish Highlands.

We have created a Nutty About Hosting grove and fund the planting of one native tree for every member of our team each month.

Tree planting is not presented as a substitute for reducing the energy and resources used by our services. It is a separate, practical contribution towards restoring native woodland and supporting biodiversity.

We also look for opportunities to take part in local tree planting and environmental work here in Devon.