Our website is mindful of its carbon footprint
This website has been designed and developed with a focus on eco-social design, in line with and in support of our corporate purpose and strategic commitments.
As an institution with over two centuries of history, we are deeply committed to serving our visitors and stakeholders with integrity and responsibility. This first website marks the launch of a major effort to minimize the environmental impact of our digital footprint. We are fully aware of the challenges and opportunities that this represents, and are proud to take this first step.
This website is above all the result of a shared commitment by Caisse des Dépôts’ digital, editorial and technical teams, and that of a number of partners who also contributed.
How we did it
We took a holistic approach, requiring all contributors to apply an eco-social design approach at every stage of the project. This is the only way to ensure that such an approach generates meaningful results. We have been working towards this goal for almost two years, carefully selecting the right technologies and methodologies, training our teams and raising awareness among contributors.
Designing a lean interface was just the beginning. We have reimagined our technical and functional architecture to ensure our website remains user-friendly and true to our brand’s identity.
The main phases
Adaptation of Caisse des Dépôts’ visual identity
In line with our eco-social design goals, we have reworked our digital visual identity, from using a single typeface and making colours accessible, to simplifying visuals and redefining how graphic elements are used. This work has enabled us to act more responsibly, while also presenting a stronger digital identity for our institution.
Functional architecture redesign
We designed our website with long-term sustainability in mind, and with a view to continuous improvement. Its functional architecture has been designed in consultation and in agreement with all contributors. We are now equipped with a digital factory that enables us to support our core activities in all their diversity and at their own pace as they adopt the eco-social design standards and requirements. This is reflected in the layout and navigation of our website.
Streamlined structure
We approached all content with the same principle of “functional unity”, meaning one page per need. A lot of our content had to be revised in line with this approach. Some pages were rewritten, others divided up, and some sections were completely reorganised. We also archived and deleted certain content and documents. The overarching aim is to deliver content that is succinct and precise.
Lighter digital footprint and optimized data usage
We drastically cut down on visuals and videos across the website to reduce both the load and complexity of the different webpages. We also overhauled the way in which the remaining media is uploaded and formatted. Managing the number and complexity of templates also posed a real challenge, one we tackled by streamlining and systematically reusing every element we kept or developed.
New technical infrastructure
Our partner, GIE CDC Informatique, supported us throughout the project, implementing efficient, minimalist infrastructure with our digital eco-design requirements in mind. From server selection and resource optimisation to data storage, bandwidth reduction, and data security, our teams have designed a pioneering infrastructure tailored specifically for this site.
Accessibility
Throughout the design process, we kept closely in line with the recommendations of the French digital accessibility standard (RGAA), under the watchful eye of our in-house experts. From media integration and content structure to accessible colours and contrast compliance, every detail was carefully considered, including code adjustments and heading hierarchy. The whole team remained focused and committed to ensuring that all content met accessibility standards.
EcoIndex rating: how it works
The EcoIndex rating* measures the environmental performance of webpages, based on the same principle as the energy performance labels used for household appliances – from A to G or 0 to 100%. The Green IT tool is used to calculate a score for each webpage.
Based on a webpage address (or URL), the rating takes into account three technical parameters:
- the complexity of the webpage’s composition (for those familiar with the concept, this is the number of elements in the DOM or Document Object Model), which gives an idea of the energy that the user's browser has to expend to display it;
- the size of the data transferred, in kilobytes, which reflects the energy required to transport the content from the server to the browser;
- the number of HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) requests required from the browser to the server.
*The EcoIndex tool available on the Ecoindex.fr website is licensed under Creative Commons CC-By-NC-ND. This means that anyone can use it, provided that they cite the source of the figures obtained – EcoIndex.fr – and a link to the service http://ecoindex.fr. It may not be modified or used for commercial purposes.