Our website is more resource-efficient: here’s why
Designed to use fewer resources, this website has a smaller carbon footprint than its previous version. This initiative is part of our commitment to more responsible digital practices.
How have we reduced the website’s environmental impact?
In 2026, we updated the dauphine.psl.eu website to reduce its environmental impact while improving your browsing experience.
This eco-design approach has enabled us to reduce the resources needed to operate the website while making it faster, more accessible, and better performing. The results presented below illustrate the progress made and are regularly updated as part of our continuous improvement efforts.
Lighter pages
We have reduced page size by up to 50%, on average. Some pages are up to five times lighter than before. Less data to load means less energy is consumed to display a page.
A faster, simpler website
The website’s functionality has been streamlined to minimize unnecessary exchanges with servers and reduce the resources needed to display pages.
At the same time, content has been redesigned to focus on the essentials: better-organized information, clearer pages, and more intuitive navigation.
Responsible hosting
The website is hosted in France on infrastructure certified as “Green Hosting” and powered by renewable energy.
This choice reduces the environmental impact associated with storing and operating the website while ensuring data security and performance.
Optimized images and documents
Images are optimized (compression, format, and dimensions adapted to the screen) to reduce their file size without compromising quality.
Documents and media content are also optimized to minimize their environmental impact.
A website accessible to all
The website is designed to be usable by as many people as possible, including people with disabilities.
Special attention is paid to readability, contrast, keyboard navigation, and compatibility with assistive technologies.
Continuous improvement
Eco-design doesn’t end once the website goes live. We regularly monitor the website’s performance and continue to improve it.
We also work with university teams to adopt best practices (updates, content pruning, and ongoing optimization).
A website developed in accordance with the RGESN standard
The dauphine.psl.eu website was designed in accordance with the General Eco-Design Framework for Digital Services (RGESN), a reference framework developed by the French government to reduce the environmental impact of digital services.
The RGESN provides a set of best practices covering the entire lifecycle of a digital service from design to operation and addressing performance, resource efficiency, accessibility, and governance.
A comprehensive audit was conducted by a specialized external agency to evaluate the website against RGESN criteria, identify priority areas for improvement, and ensure the reliability of the results presented.
Applying this framework allows us to anchor our approach in a recognized, structured, and evolving framework that supports more responsible digital practices.
Why take action?
Digital technology has a significant environmental impact, both through its consumption of energy and water and through the greenhouse gas emissions and resource extraction it generates. Digital technology now accounts for nearly 6% of the global environmental footprint, up from approximately 2.5% in 2010, with greenhouse gas emissions increasing particularly sharply.
In this context, websites play a far from negligible role. As a university that welcomes thousands of students, researchers, and partners each year, the dauphine.psl.eu website serves as an essential gateway to the institution. Hundreds of thousands of pages are viewed each month: every page load requires resources from servers, networks, and devices.
Reducing the size and complexity of these pages therefore has a tangible impact on the environmental footprint of our digital activities, in line with the University’s commitment to more responsible development.
An initiative aligned with Dauphine’s values and strategy
The eco-design of the website is part of the overall strategy of Université Paris Dauphine - PSL, which places University Social Responsibility (RESU) at the heart of its priorities. Through its “Dauphine Durable” program, the university integrates environmental and societal issues into all its activities, including digital activities.
As a signatory to PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) and certified under DD&RS (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility), the university is committed to a structured and recognized approach aimed at balancing performance, resource efficiency, and responsibility. The website’s eco-design thus serves as a concrete tool for reducing the digital footprint and fostering more sustainable practices.
Beyond the technical redesign of the website, this initiative aims to embed responsible practices into governance and everyday usage over the long term by mobilizing our entire university communityresearch professors, administrative staff, and students around a gradual transition toward more sustainable digital practices.
Learn more about Dauphine’s Environmental and Social Responsibility
