Lighter websites, less energy.

Jones Digital is a small, remote-first design studio based in Merthyr Tydfil. We do not claim to be a carbon-neutral business, and we are not going to publish a figure we cannot substantiate.

What we can do is be honest about where our environmental impact actually comes from, reduce it where we reasonably can, and make sure the websites we build for clients are not needlessly heavy. Because a website's energy use is repeated for every visitor, on every page, for as long as it exists — it is one of the few parts of a design agency's work with real, measurable reach.

The single most effective thing we do is build efficient websites. A page that loads quickly consumes less energy on the visitor's device, in the network and in the data centre. It is also better for the client, because a faster site converts better.

In practice, this means we:

• optimise and correctly size every image, and use modern formats such as WebP and AVIF rather than oversized JPEGs;
• serve responsive images so a phone is not sent a desktop-sized file;
• load fonts efficiently and avoid unnecessary font files and weights;
• minimise third-party scripts, tracking and embedded media;
• write efficient code and remove unused markup, styles and dependencies;
• use static rendering where possible, so a page is delivered as a finished file rather than generated from scratch on every visit;
• lazy-load video and use click-to-play embedding so a video only loads when a visitor chooses to watch it.

Websites are hosted on a content delivery network, which serves each visitor from a data centre close to them. Shorter distances mean less energy used transmitting data, and cached static files need very little computing power to deliver.

Where a client's project gives us a choice of hosting or platform, we will recommend the option that is efficient for the job rather than the heaviest one available. We will also advise honestly when a client's existing site could be made substantially lighter — often that is the best argument for a redesign.

Our own operations are small, remote-first and deliberately low-impact:

• we meet clients by video call as standard, which removes most travel from a project;
• documents, contracts, invoices and project files are handled digitally through Jones Digital Hub, with paper used only where a client specifically asks for it;
• we work from home rather than running a large office, and meet in person only where it genuinely helps — usually for local clients in Merthyr Tydfil and the South Wales Valleys;
• equipment is bought to last and repaired or repurposed rather than replaced on a fixed cycle;
• cloud storage is kept tidy, because storing duplicate and obsolete files has an ongoing cost in energy as well as in money.

Every client project includes a handover covering performance and maintenance. At that handover we explain what keeps a site fast and light, and what quietly undoes it — auto-playing video, uncompressed uploads, and accumulating third-party scripts.

If a client is interested, we will also review the carbon impact of their site and recommend practical changes. We would rather give you an honest recommendation than a certificate.

Where a brand identity project involves printed collateral, we will recommend recycled or responsibly sourced stocks and a printer that works to recognised environmental standards. We will tell you when a print run is not worth the material cost and suggest a digital alternative.

We choose suppliers and partners on merit, but where two options are otherwise equal we will favour the one with the clearer environmental position. We do not make claims about suppliers that they have not made themselves.

We review this policy at least once a year and update it when our practice changes. As we grow, the honest priorities are likely to be measuring our own footprint properly rather than estimating it, and continuing to treat website performance as an environmental issue rather than only a commercial one.

If you have a question about how we work, or a suggestion for something we should be doing better, tell us at enquiries@jonesdigital.co. We would rather hear it than not.