Julia Mirjami

Regenerative brands tighten their digital waist

Background

I got interested in the topic working with a sustainability-focused industrial customer and a green investments impact tool for councils and businesses. The deeper I looked, the clearer the problem became: the digital services we build to promote sustainability are themselves part of the waste.

Maciej Ceglowski called it the website obesity crisis — text-based sites that weigh more than Russian novels, pages about performance that are themselves bloated beyond belief. Gerry McGovern put it more bluntly: digital will sink in its own crap. Data centres run like Formula 1 cars revving for a race most will never run — only 6–12% of data centre energy goes to actual computation. The rest powers cooling and redundancy for data no one will access again.

Through Siili innovation projects, I explored what this means for brand systems. Drawing on Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics and Nancy Bocken's research on regeneration as the "missing R" in circular practice, the concept asks: what if brands could get fit — and help others do the same?

Challenge

We are creating digital fat. Obese websites. Complex systems that repeat the same content across channels and require many extra clicks. The median web page has grown 5.3x in fifteen years. The ICT sector now emits as much CO₂ as aviation — 2–4% of global greenhouse gases — and it's rising 6–8% annually. Meanwhile, people spend 44% of waking life on screens, much of it lost to repetition and brand noise that says nothing new.

Impact

Organisations move from sustainability theatre to regenerative practice. Lighter systems load faster, reach more people equitably, and reduce the carbon cost of every interaction. Brand communications improve not by saying more, but by meaning it — saving time for people and resources for the planet.

Solution

Regenerative branding is a strategic business and design philosophy that goes beyond traditional sustainability:

Actively restore, repair, and replenish ecosystems, culture, and communities.
Powers tools and websites that are intentional and focused to deliver value

Focus

Holistic systemic health, resource renewal, and delivering positive value back into the system

Reduce

Repetition through design systems and shared component libraries

The weight of digital

Difference led by regeneration

Next project

Fondia Legal services

Regenerative brands tighten their digital waist

Background

I got interested in the topic working with a sustainability-focused industrial customer and a green investments impact tool for councils and businesses. The deeper I looked, the clearer the problem became: the digital services we build to promote sustainability are themselves part of the waste.

Maciej Ceglowski called it the website obesity crisis — text-based sites that weigh more than Russian novels, pages about performance that are themselves bloated beyond belief. Gerry McGovern put it more bluntly: digital will sink in its own crap. Data centres run like Formula 1 cars revving for a race most will never run — only 6–12% of data centre energy goes to actual computation. The rest powers cooling and redundancy for data no one will access again.

Through Siili innovation projects, I explored what this means for brand systems. Drawing on Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics and Nancy Bocken's research on regeneration as the "missing R" in circular practice, the concept asks: what if brands could get fit — and help others do the same?

Challenge

We are creating digital fat. Obese websites. Complex systems that repeat the same content across channels and require many extra clicks. The median web page has grown 5.3x in fifteen years. The ICT sector now emits as much CO₂ as aviation — 2–4% of global greenhouse gases — and it's rising 6–8% annually. Meanwhile, people spend 44% of waking life on screens, much of it lost to repetition and brand noise that says nothing new.

Impact

Organisations move from sustainability theatre to regenerative practice. Lighter systems load faster, reach more people equitably, and reduce the carbon cost of every interaction. Brand communications improve not by saying more, but by meaning it — saving time for people and resources for the planet.

Solution

Regenerative branding is a strategic business and design philosophy that goes beyond traditional sustainability:

Actively restore, repair, and replenish ecosystems, culture, and communities.
Powers tools and websites that are intentional and focused to deliver value

Focus

Holistic systemic health, resource renewal, and delivering positive value back into the system

Reduce

Repetition through design systems and shared component libraries

Replace

→ Watch the talk at YouTube

The weight of digital

Difference led by regeneration

Grow — Asia

Tata Group

India's most recognised sustainability leader (GlobeScan). Integrating sustainability across steel, automotive, and technology. Strategic focus on supply chain transformation and impact measurement.

Renew — Global

IKEA

Aiming for climate positive by 2030, 100% circular by 2030. €2.5B+ invested in renewable energy. Buy Back scheme and second-hand stores piloted. 12,000 products to redesign for circularity.

talk

Patagonia

Transferred ownership to a trust to fight climate change. "Don't Buy This Jacket" — radical honesty as brand strategy. 1% of sales to environmental causes. Worn Wear repair programme.

Next project

Fondia Legal services

Regenerative brands tighten their digital waist

Background

I got interested in the topic working with a sustainability-focused industrial customer and a green investments impact tool for councils and businesses. The deeper I looked, the clearer the problem became: the digital services we build to promote sustainability are themselves part of the waste.

Maciej Ceglowski called it the website obesity crisis — text-based sites that weigh more than Russian novels, pages about performance that are themselves bloated beyond belief. Gerry McGovern put it more bluntly: digital will sink in its own crap. Data centres run like Formula 1 cars revving for a race most will never run — only 6–12% of data centre energy goes to actual computation. The rest powers cooling and redundancy for data no one will access again.

Through Siili innovation projects, I explored what this means for brand systems. Drawing on Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics and Nancy Bocken's research on regeneration as the "missing R" in circular practice, the concept asks: what if brands could get fit — and help others do the same?

Challenge

We are creating digital fat. Obese websites. Complex systems that repeat the same content across channels and require many extra clicks. The median web page has grown 5.3x in fifteen years. The ICT sector now emits as much CO₂ as aviation — 2–4% of global greenhouse gases — and it's rising 6–8% annually. Meanwhile, people spend 44% of waking life on screens, much of it lost to repetition and brand noise that says nothing new.

Impact

Organisations move from sustainability theatre to regenerative practice. Lighter systems load faster, reach more people equitably, and reduce the carbon cost of every interaction. Brand communications improve not by saying more, but by meaning it — saving time for people and resources for the planet.

Solution

Regenerative branding is a strategic business and design philosophy that goes beyond traditional sustainability:

Actively restore, repair, and replenish ecosystems, culture, and communities.
Powers tools and websites that are intentional and focused to deliver value

Focus

Holistic systemic health, resource renewal, and delivering positive value back into the system

Reduce

Repetition through design systems and shared component libraries

Replace

→ Watch the talk at YouTube

The weight of digital

2.9 MB

Digital interactions per person per day in 2025, up from 298 in 2010.

HTTP Archive / Web Almanac

2–4%

Share of global greenhouse gas emissions from ICT — comparable to civil aviation, and growing 6–8% per year.

ITU / myclimate

6–12%

Of data centre energy goes to actual computation. The rest powers cooling and redundancy for data rarely accessed.

Gerry McGovern / S. Gonzalez Monserrate

~7 hrs

Average daily screen time globally — 44% of waking life. Equivalent to 49 full days per person per year on screens.

DataReportal 2025

Difference led by regeneration

Circulate — Europe

Interface

US-born, Europe-led carpet manufacturer. Mission Zero achieved: first carbon-negative floor product. 226,000+ tons saved from landfill since 1995 through closed-loop manufacturing.

Connect — Africa

Safaricom

Kenya's purpose-led tech company. M-PESA generated KES 348B in societal value. 5G in 43 of 47 counties. Transforming 50M lives through financial inclusion and digital access.

Grow — Asia

Tata Group

India's most recognised sustainability leader (GlobeScan). Integrating sustainability across steel, automotive, and technology. Strategic focus on supply chain transformation and impact measurement.

Renew — Global

IKEA

Aiming for climate positive by 2030, 100% circular by 2030. €2.5B+ invested in renewable energy. Buy Back scheme and second-hand stores piloted. 12,000 products to redesign for circularity.

talk

Patagonia

Transferred ownership to a trust to fight climate change. "Don't Buy This Jacket" — radical honesty as brand strategy. 1% of sales to environmental causes. Worn Wear repair programme.

Next project

Fondia Legal services

Regenerative brands tighten their digital waist

Background

I got interested in the topic working with a sustainability-focused industrial customer and a green investments impact tool for councils and businesses. The deeper I looked, the clearer the problem became: the digital services we build to promote sustainability are themselves part of the waste.

Maciej Ceglowski called it the website obesity crisis — text-based sites that weigh more than Russian novels, pages about performance that are themselves bloated beyond belief. Gerry McGovern put it more bluntly: digital will sink in its own crap. Data centres run like Formula 1 cars revving for a race most will never run — only 6–12% of data centre energy goes to actual computation. The rest powers cooling and redundancy for data no one will access again.

Through Siili innovation projects, I explored what this means for brand systems. Drawing on Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics and Nancy Bocken's research on regeneration as the "missing R" in circular practice, the concept asks: what if brands could get fit — and help others do the same?

Challenge

We are creating digital fat. Obese websites. Complex systems that repeat the same content across channels and require many extra clicks. The median web page has grown 5.3x in fifteen years. The ICT sector now emits as much CO₂ as aviation — 2–4% of global greenhouse gases — and it's rising 6–8% annually. Meanwhile, people spend 44% of waking life on screens, much of it lost to repetition and brand noise that says nothing new.

Solution

Regenerative branding is a strategic business and design philosophy that goes beyond traditional sustainability:

Actively restore, repair, and replenish ecosystems, culture, and communities.
Powers tools and websites that are intentional and focused to deliver value

Impact

Organisations move from sustainability theatre to regenerative practice. Lighter systems load faster, reach more people equitably, and reduce the carbon cost of every interaction. Brand communications improve not by saying more, but by meaning it — saving time for people and resources for the planet.

Focus

Holistic systemic health, resource renewal, and delivering positive value back into the system

Reduce

Repetition through design systems and shared component libraries

Replace

Complexity with transparency, clarity, and coherence

The weight of digital

2.9 MB

Median desktop page weight in 2025, up 5.3x since 2010. Mobile grew 11.5x in the same period.

HTTP Archive / Web Almanac

2–4%

Share of global greenhouse gas emissions from ICT — comparable to civil aviation, and growing 6–8% per year.

ITU / myclimate

6–12%

Of data centre energy goes to actual computation. The rest powers cooling and redundancy for data rarely accessed.

Gerry McGovern / S. Gonzalez Monserrate

~7 hrs

Average daily screen time globally — 44% of waking life. Equivalent to 49 full days per person per year on screens.

DataReportal 2025

Difference led by regeneration

Circulate — Europe

Interface

US-born, Europe-led carpet manufacturer. Mission Zero achieved: first carbon-negative floor product. 226,000+ tons saved from landfill since 1995 through closed-loop manufacturing.

Connect — Africa

Safaricom

Kenya's purpose-led tech company. M-PESA generated KES 348B in societal value. 5G in 43 of 47 counties. Transforming 50M lives through financial inclusion and digital access.

Grow — Asia

Tata Group

India's most recognised sustainability leader (GlobeScan). Integrating sustainability across steel, automotive, and technology. Strategic focus on supply chain transformation and impact measurement.

Renew — Global

IKEA

Aiming for climate positive by 2030, 100% circular by 2030. €2.5B+ invested in renewable energy. Buy Back scheme and second-hand stores piloted. 12,000 products to redesign for circularity.

talk

Patagonia

Transferred ownership to a trust to fight climate change. "Don't Buy This Jacket" — radical honesty as brand strategy. 1% of sales to environmental causes. Worn Wear repair programme.

Next project

Fondia Legal services