It’s never been more important to cut through greenwashing and to make sure that you’re getting the truth from your suppliers. We’ve compiled a list below, to help you to align your ethics with your action and to make sure that your green host is as green as they seem…
Best practice whilst choosing a hosting provider:
Green hosting is not a regulated term, so it’s important to dig beyond the labels.
Things to consider:
- Reputation – reviews, online presence and performance
- Documentation to back green claims
- Providers working with official organisations that document their impact
Busting bogus renewable energy claims
Check if a provider can back their claims… they should be able to provide evidence of:
1. Verified use of green energy tariff (to ensure it’s actually green…)
2. Fully backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs)
3. Independently verified by organisations like EcoAct
Data Centre PUE: Power Usage Effectiveness
This is a really useful metric that details how energy-efficient a host is. The lower, the better for these, with scores categorised as below:
Excellent: 1 – 1.2
Good: 1.5
Average: 1.6 – 2
Poor: >2
Additional impact
If a provider claims to work with other organisations for tree planting or other green projects, they’re likely to want to proudly show these off…if you can’t find information as to who they work with and how they keep a record of their impact, it’s important to ask them. Choosing suppliers that work with other certified and official partners for green projects is a good way of ensuring that you’re getting what you paid for and cutting through greenwashing.
Overall, it’s really important to make an informed choice. Most providers are happy to answer questions, as transparency is really important in this industry.
If you’re interested in switching to green hosting or want to ask further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us, here.