Red is Green: The eco-flame in our digital marketing practices

At burningred, we believe in the power of digital marketing to transform businesses. But, we also believe in powering our digital and business practices through responsible eco-choices.

Our commitment to the environment is more than just a buzzword — it's a core part of our identity (literally, just check the fun fact below 👀) from our digital services through to day-to-day practices as a business and individuals.

Building a green digital framework

We always opt to use the crème de la crème of systems in our digital practices so that we can provide top-notch services to our clients with a light eco-conscience. When it comes to choosing these systems, we factor in two things: quality and ethics. Below are the main systems we use with a strong environmental and sustainability background.

Fun fact: Alex Mills, Founder & Director of burningred has a background in Environmental Studies!

Carbon-neutral web hosting

Our commitment to the environment starts with our web hosting choice. Why? Data centres which are responsible for storing, processing and delivering all website information on their servers (these servers never sleep!) consume a HUGE amount of energy to do so. A most recent report from the International Energy Agency states:

The estimated global data centre electricity consumption in 2022 was 240-340 TWh1, or around 1-1.3% of global final electricity demand.

Data servers are basically robots that never sleep (don’t tell them that, there might be an uprising)

That amount results in issuing high quantities of CO2. However, some web hosting providers take steps to reduce their environmental impact. Therefore, our web hosting of choice is 100% carbon-neutral. This means that the energy used to power our websites is offset by investments in renewable energy projects, making our digital presence as eco-friendly as possible! Perfect for hosting your Wordpress websites.

Discover our website hosting, maintenance & management service.

Green digital efficiency with Google

Google plays a key role in our digital endeavours, as the majority of our digital work and communications are handled through their services. By relying on Google, we benefit from their commitment to sustainability and efficiency in data centres and innovative technology. This not only ensures smooth digital work operations but also aligns with our eco-conscious philosophy.

Some steps Google has taken towards sustainability:

• Carbon neutral: Google has been carbon neutral for all its operations since 2007.

• 100% renewable energy: It was the first major company to match its energy use with 100% renewable energy in 2017. 

• Energy efficiency: Google continuously works to improve the energy efficiency of its data centres and infrastructure to reduce energy consumption.Water conservation: The company focused on water-efficient data centre cooling technologies to reduce water consumption.

• Recycling and circular economy: Google is committed to using more recycled materials in its hardware products and to promoting a circular economy by designing products for longevity and easy recycling.

• Investment in renewable energy projects: The company invests in renewable energy projects worldwide, helping to add more renewable energy to the grid.

Learn more about Google’s steps towards sustainability.

Sustainable web development with Squarespace

When it comes to developing websites for our clients, we can often turn to Squarespace for when Wordpress doesn’t fit the bill — in fact, our own website is built in Squarespace! They have an impressive commitment to environmental sustainability, outlined in their sustainability report.

Choosing Squarespace is a no-brainer as their commitment to sustainability aligns perfectly with our values. Plus it’s a great platform for creating impactful marketing and easy-to-use websites for our clients.

Fun fact: Squarespace host their services in data centres, and with industry-leading cloud computing vendors such as Google, who have reached or will soon reach 100% renewable energy.

File & asset management with Dropbox

Dropbox helps us manage and organise our digital assets and documents efficiently. It's a choice not just for convenience but also because of Dropbox's commitment to responsible practices.

As a company Dropbox is committed to fighting global warming and reducing its carbon footprint by 2030 among other sustainability goals which you can learn more about here → Dropbox Sustainability Goals

Content production with Adobe

Content production is a significant part of our work, and Adobe is our chosen system in this domain for its distinction and sustainability policy.

Their innovative products are tailored for excellence and efficiency whilst reducing environmental impacts by delivering cloud-based software and paperless workflows which reduce physical waste and cut emissions from transportation and delivery.

Fun fact: Adobe uses science-based targets to approach sustainability.

Eco-friendly beyond digital

We don't just stop at digital services, we also take eco-friendly steps when it comes to printing practices!

For print needs, we take extra care in picking certified providers — printed.com, for instance, shares our eco-friendly values, ensuring that our print materials are environmentally responsible. We also prioritise soy and vegetable-based inks, unbleached recycled paper, FSC-certified providers, and managed stocks for any print projects; and we always encourage our clients to make sustainable choices for their projects. These choices reduce our environmental impact significantly.

But wait! There’s more…

To further reduce our carbon footprint, we ditch those extra miles by prioritising local sourcing whenever possible. By choosing local suppliers, we cut down on transportation emissions, making a substantial difference.

Note: NOT your carbon footprint! 👣

Sustainability in the workspace

Our commitment to environmental responsibility is deeply rooted in the company's DNA, starting with Alex’s environmentalist background and extending to the rest of the team. We place strong eco-considerations at the forefront and ensure that we make responsible choices not only in our digital practices but also in our day-to-day operations.

• Hybrid work life: We use a hybrid work model, with two days of office working and the rest of the magic happens remotely — living the dream! We rely on public transport to travel to our office, plus it’s located within walking and cycling distance for some team members, reducing the need for extensive commuting.

• Eco-friendly office space: In 2020 we decided to relocate and go for an office space that better represented our environmental considerations. We chose Space2B at The Maltings as their efforts towards greener working practices perfectly aligned with ours.

  Space2B, nestled in Cardiff offers state-of-the-art serviced office and co-working spaces to businesses and professionals through green initiatives such as their energy-saving functions with smart switches, free cycle-to-work scheme and 100% electric shuttle bus available to tenants.

• Virtual meetings: During the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 utilising software for online virtual meetings became essential for most businesses. This is something we still carry through today with the majority of our team and client meetings being held virtually which further reduces our carbon footprint.

• We are paperless: Using digital tools like Adobe Acrobat means we don’t need to print anything — actually haven’t used our printer in 2+ years, is it even alive? Who knows?! All of our internal and external proofing with clients is done digitally, not only does this contribute to our eco-credentials but it also ensures a faster and more efficient process.

• Responsible waste management: Recycle, reuse, repeat! At burningred, recycling and reusing aren’t just words — they’re actions. When we moved offices in 2020, we went the extra mile to recycle, reuse and give away as much as possible to charities, resulting in the diversion of 90% of our waste from landfills.

  Our current office location at Space2B has a green waste management system in place, making it easy for everyone to dispose of waste responsibly. In addition to this, we use the Maltings Secure Shredding services for responsible IT and document destruction (hard drives, old laptops, PCs, files etc.)

Our contribution to environmentally focused organisations

Over the years we’ve collaborated with major non-profit organisations dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability across Wales and the UK – this has been instrumental in our mission to make a positive impact, plus it’s been fun! We’ve worked closely with organisations such as Keep Cardiff Tidy, for whom we developed a website, marketing campaigns. We also worked with WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) in partnership with Brecon Carreg in an inspiring campaign aimed at reducing the number of plastic bottles.

Our involvement in this sector extended to valuable collaborations with Wastesavers in Newport and Recycle for Wales, where we lent our expertise to enhance their branding and marketing campaigns. Through these efforts, we’ve not only empowered these organisations but also played a key role in fostering environmental awareness and change.

We're on a mission to set the digital marketing world ablaze with an eco-friendly twist. From the BIG things like our carbon-neutral web hosting to our sustainable digital framework and practices, all the way down to the small everyday things like walking into the office and holding virtual meets.

That’s how we make the world a little greener, one pixel at a time!