Introducing the Umbraco Sustainability Package: Building a greener web

2 minute read

Since joining the Umbraco Community Sustainability team in May 2023, we've been working collaboratively on a project to integrate a sustainability tracking tool directly into Umbraco development. Today we're pleased to announce that the Umbraco Sustainability Package is publicly available as an alpha release

The world of web development thrives on innovation and functionality, but there's a growing concern demanding attention: sustainability. As developers, we must ensure we minimise the environmental impact of our digital creations. With this mission in mind, Amy and I joined the Umbraco Sustainability Team in May 2023.

At Umbraco's Community Team Days in September 2023, the collaborative approach from the team yielded some productive outcomes. Inspired by tools like Website Carbon Calculator, Ecograder, and Ecoping, and working alongside Thomas Morris from TPX Impact, we envisioned integrating sustainability directly into Umbraco development. We wanted to create a tool for tracking the carbon footprint of individual pages within Umbraco sites.
The Umbraco sustainability team stand together smiling
Through open collaboration and transparent development on GitHub, we honed our work. A crucial breakthrough came in December 2023 when we achieved proper carbon footprint calculations within the tool, marking a significant milestone.

Today the Umbraco Community Sustainability package is publicly available as an alpha release, inviting developers to explore and contribute. But the ambitions don't stop there. We plan to develop dashboards, health checks, content and media warnings, configuration options, and further refine reporting accuracy.
A screenshot of the Umbraco back office where a sustainability tab can be seen, reporting page size and CO2 output per page
Additionally, integration with Umbraco 14's new backoffice, Bellissima, is already underway and ensures seamless compatibility and future-proofs functionality.

Sustainability needs to be a core consideration in modern web development. The Umbraco Sustainability package, spearheaded by the Community team, represents a crucial step towards a greener, cleaner web.

Join us in building a new standard for web development, one that prioritises both functionality and environmental responsibility.

Stay tuned for further updates! To speak to us about Umbraco, sustainability and how we can help, get in touch at: hello@nexerdigital.com