How much weight, really, does what we publish online have? We are not talking about likes or views, but about environmental, social, cognitive impact. In a hyperconnected world, every digital content – from the sponsored post to the weekly newsletter – consumes resources: energy, attention, time. And if communication is one of the most powerful tools for guiding behaviour and constructing imaginaries, then it is time to ask ourselves: can it also be sustainable?

This question is at the centre of an emerging debate involving communicators, designers, activists and policy makers. The objective? To rethink communication practices from an ethical, inclusive and responsible perspective.

Not only to reduce the ecological footprint of content, but to increase its social impact. And to stimulate reflection on metrics, languages and formats capable of generating value, not just visibility.

According to the report ‘Greening Digital Companies 2025‘ by ITU and the World Benchmarking Alliance, only 20 per cent of global tech companies have clear goals to reduce the environmental impact of digital services, and even fewer integrate these goals into their external communication.

Digital is not immaterial

“The cloud is not a cloud, it is a collection of servers that consume energy and water,” those involved in digital sustainability are often reminded. Yet, in the collective imagination, digital remains something light, invisible, almost neutral. The reality is different: according to some estimates, the ICT sector produces more emissions than most air transport. And digital communication, with its autoplay videos, high-traffic campaigns and heavy content, contributes to this impact.

Nor does digital sustainability end with reducing emissions from data centres or promoting the recycling of smartphones. It is also about the quality of information, the inclusiveness of languages, and the ability to build healthy relationships.

In other words: it is about the way we communicate. For communicators, it means rethinking the entire content lifecycle: from design to distribution, from choosing formats to measuring impact. It means questioning what we communicate, how we communicate, and to whom.

Every newsletter sent, every video uploaded, every sponsored post consumes resources – energetic, cognitive, relational. And every editorial choice can include or exclude, amplify or distort. Communicators thus become ‘curators of attention’ and ‘architects of meaning’, with a growing responsibility to build more equitable and sustainable digital environments.

Communicating sustainably: three dimensions

1. Environmental – reducing the ecological footprint means optimising the weight of content, avoiding overdesign, choosing green hosting. But also designing campaigns that do not incentivise compulsive consumption, video auto-play or notification addiction.
For example, the ‘MySmartDiary’ campaign reduced the weight of digital content by 70 per cent through sober design and the use of compressed text formats, while maintaining high engagement (source: Foundation for Digital Sustainability). The Dutch agency Greenberry developed a ‘carbon budgeting’ methodology for digital content, calculating the impact of each asset (video, images, animation) and proposing lighter alternatives without sacrificing narrative effectiveness.

2. Social – sustainable communication is also accessible (for visual, cognitive, language disabilities), inclusive (represents diversity, avoids stereotypes), ethical (transparent, respectful of privacy, non-manipulative).
For example, the Manifesto for the Digital Sustainability of Communication, presented to the Chamber of Deputies in July 2025, does not merely set out abstract principles but proposes operational guidelines to help communicators do so in a more inclusive, ethical and responsible manner, from the representation of diversity to transparency in content (source: Foundation for Digital Sustainability). The BBC has introduced internal guidelines to ensure that all digital content is accessible according to WCAG 2.1 standards, with regular audits and mandatory training for editorial teams.

3. Cognitive – in an ecosystem saturated with stimuli, sustainability means countering infodemia with clear and verified content, promoting formats capable of generating understanding and not just attention.
For example, the University of Pavia has integrated sustainability reporting with transparent digital communication practices, improving understanding of ESG data among students and stakeholders (riviste.paviauniversitypress.it/). Swedish public broadcaster SVT launched the ‘Slow News’ project, a section of its website dedicated to in-depth, ad-free content designed to be read at leisure. The result? Increased average reading time and increased perceived trust on the part of the audience.

The role of communicators

Those working in communication today have enormous power: they can orient imaginations, influence choices, build trust. But this power must be exercised with awareness. “We are architects of meaning,” said a strategist in a recent workshop on digital sustainability. And like any architect, we must ask ourselves: what are we building? For whom? With what materials?

Some organisations are already experimenting with good practices and new approaches: lightweight campaigns, accessible formats, alternative metrics (such as social impact or quality of interaction). Others are developing toolkits and guidelines to help teams design more sustainable content.

An interesting case is that of Patagonia, which reduced the volume of its annual digital communications by 40 per cent, focusing on low-impact content with high narrative value. The strategy strengthened brand reputation and improved organic engagement.

Open challenges and operational questions

To turn these principles into practice, we need new metrics, new narrative archetypes, new skills. Some key questions for working groups:

– How do we measure the sustainability of a communication strategy?

– What compromises between visibility and digital sobriety?

– How to train teams and stakeholders on these issues?

– What languages and imagery can convey these values?

A useful reference is the BEREC 2023 report on sustainability indicators for electronic communication networks and services, which also proposes metrics applicable to digital communication in the public and private sector.

What now?

Digital sustainability in communication is still a young but rapidly evolving field. New skills, new tools, new questions are needed. How do we measure the impact of a campaign? How do we balance visibility and sobriety? How do we train teams on these issues?

Digital sustainability is not a creative constraint, but a narrative opportunity. Communicating sustainably means choosing to generate value, not just visibility. It means building healthier relationships, more inclusive environments, more authentic messages.

In a changing world, communication can be part of the problem or part of the solution.
It is up to us to decide which side we are on.