Innovation Centre for Organic Farming
A website that walks the sustainable talk
Background
When your mission is to promote organic farming and care deeply about the planet, you can’t settle for a standard website. The Danish Innovation Centre for Organic Farming (the Innovation Centre) needed a digital platform that not only supported its mission to share knowledge – but also aligned with its values of sustainability and ethics.
They knew that IT is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, so they were determined to minimise the environmental impact of their new website. But they also recognised that sustainability is about more than just carbon. It’s about user privacy, inclusivity, accessibility, and long-term thinking. That’s why the Innovation Centre set out to create a platform where every design choice reflected a bigger purpose.
Solution
We worked hand-in-hand with the Innovation Centre to build icoel.dk, a knowledge hub designed specifically for organic farmers – with digital sustainability built in from the ground up.
The Innovation Centre made it clear from the start: they didn’t want third-party cookies tracking their users. That decision came with trade-offs – like not being able to use Google Analytics – but we helped implement alternative methods for gathering meaningful user data in a respectful, privacy-conscious way.
They also made it a priority to ensure the website was responsive across all devices – especially mobiles and tablets, which are the tools farmers rely on when working outdoors.
Accessibility was also a key priority. The site was built to meet EU accessibility standards, supporting screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and a frictionless experience for all users – including those with visual or motor impairments.
And, of course, reducing energy use was front and centre. We compressed images, limited video content, and ensured that videos only play if users choose to watch them – never defaulting to high resolution unnecessarily. Hosting was also a deliberate choice: the site runs on Microsoft Azure’s green servers, powered by renewable energy.
Even the site’s content strategy supports sustainability. For example, the Innovation Centre team decided not to update their main imagery too often, as loading new assets more frequently consumes more energy. Small choices like these add up.
Impact
The impact has been both measurable and meaningful. About a year after launch, an independent expert assessed the site’s climate footprint – and found it performing exceptionally well. If not for the use of video (which is important for younger users), the site would rank among the top 10% most climate-friendly websites globally.
On top of that, icoel.dk currently scores 98 out of 100 for accessibility in Google Lighthouse tests – demonstrating that ethical, low-impact web design doesn’t have to compromise on user experience.
The Innovation Centre brought bold ideas and a clear vision to the table. We brought the technical know-how and curiosity to explore new ground. The result? A website that does justice to sustainable principles – not just in what it says, but in how it works.
The Results
1.
Most of the pages on the website are among the top 5% most climate-friendly in the world, measured by CO2 emissions
2.
14% more website visitors per month than expected in 2025 (as of April 1, 2025)
3.
24% more newsletter subscribers as of April 1, 2025 than expected at the end of the year