London’s business growth and destination agency has improved its website to be “eco-friendly” as part of a wider drive to address emissions caused by soaring electricity use.
London & Partners, which has supported and created tens of thousands of jobs since 2011, has committed to net zero has part of its business strategy to deliver economic growth for the city.
Working with the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance (EFWA), it underwent an assessment and evaluation of its www.londonandpartners.com website.
Following this process, the website has obtained certification as eco-friendly and have committed to function within a low-carbon limit.
The whole website now boasts the eco-friendly kitemark.

The internet is responsible for 10 per cent of the world’s electricity use, much of which is produced from fossil fuels.
The EFWA say reducing the internet’s carbon footprint will be one of the biggest challenges coming up for the UK as it seeks to hit net zero emissions.
The electricity used by the internet includes end-user devices like computers and phones, data centres and transmission networks.
However, if websites themselves consume less energy, huge amounts of CO2 emissions could be prevented from entering the atmosphere.
The EFWA say websites which emit less than one gram of CO2 per page view are considered “eco-friendly”, yet the average website is more than double this.
The EFWA accreditation process involves bringing websites beneath the one-gram threshold by processes such as optimisation, cutting bloat, reducing image size and stopping the autoplaying of videos.
As well as the London & Partners website, the audit process also means their websites for the London Convention Bureau and Business.London are also accredited.

Joanna Darwin, director of marketing services at London and Partners, said:
“This is a tangible example of our commitment and support in the race to Net Zero.
“Three of our websites now meet the environmental standard and we are working to do more still.
“We are grateful to the team at the EFWA for their support, and would recommend that other organisations who are serious about climate change and reducing their carbon footprint have a look at what they can do for them.”

Shane Herath, Chair of the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance, said:
“The concept of the internet being a major contributor to climate change may seem an unusual one for many.
“But it consumes 10 per cent of the world’s electricity, and with more of the world coming online and our own lives increasingly depending on the internet, that figure will only rise.
“We simply will not meet our net zero emissions targets unless we address the sheer consumption levels of the internet and associated infrastructure.
“We are thrilled to be working with London and Partners on this mission, and it will help promote the importance of digital sustainability across one of the world’s most important cities.
“Websites making simple changes may sound like a small development.
“But there are almost two billion websites in the world, and those which enjoy a lot of traffic also consume a lot of electricity.
“As well as the positive environmental impact, our accreditation also enables businesses to show their clients and customers they are serious about doing their bit for the planet.
“Tackling internet emissions will be one of the next great challenges in the climate change fight.”