This document lists governmental policies related to Web sustainability, although it is not a comprehensive or definitive listing. Additionally, details of recognized sustainability standards and noteworthy best practices are included. It is also a supplement to the Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) specification.

The information on this page is not legal advice. Please consult legal authorities for the appropriate jurisdiction. Neither the W3C nor the Sustainable Web Interest Group can guarantee the sustainability of these external resources.

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Laws and policies

Country / Region Name Date Enacted Type Maturity Responsible Entity
Singapore Sustainability Disclosure and Reporting Rules 2026 Policy Awaiting Singapore Exchange (SGX Group)
United States Clean Cloud Act (PDF) 2025 Law Passed U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Brazil Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures (Resolution 193) (PDF) 2026 Policy Awaiting Securities and Exchange Commission
European Union EU Cloud and AI Development Act 2025 Law Awaiting European Parliament
European Union Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) 2024 Directive Awaiting European Parliament
European Union Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) 2024 Law Passed European Parliament
European Union Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) 2024 Law Passed European Parliament
United States Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures (PDF) 2024 Policy Awaiting Securities and Exchange Commission
European Union EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) 2024 Law Passed European Parliament
United States Generative AI: Training Data Transparency (AB-2013) 2024 Law Awaiting State of California
European Union Green Claims Directive 2024 Directive Awaiting European Parliament
China Sustainability Disclosure Standards for Businesses 2024 Policy Awaiting Ministry of Finance
United States Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253 / CCDAA) 2023 Law Passed State of California
United States Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261 / CFRA) 2023 Law Passed State of California
European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) 2023 Directive Passed European Parliament
Germany Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) 2023 Law Passed Federal Government (Bundesregierung)
European Union Energy Efficiency Directive 2023 Directive Passed European Parliament
Germany Supply Chain and Due Diligence Act (SCDDA) 2023 Law Passed Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
European Union Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) 2022 Law Passed European Parliament
European Union Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Directive (ESPD) (PDF) 2022 Directive Passed European Parliament
France Anti-gaspillage pour une économie circulaire' (AGEC) 2021 Law Passed French Republic
India Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) 2021 Policy Passed Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
France Visant à Réduire L'empreinte Environnementale Du Numérique (REEN) 2021 Law Passed French Republic
European Union EU Taxonomy Regulation 2020 Law Passed European Parliament

Standards

  1. Automated Source Code Resource Sustainability Measure (ASCRSM)
  2. Cable Broadband Corporate Sustainability Metrics (SCTE 295 2025)
  3. Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS)
  4. European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)
  5. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
  6. Green Software Foundation (GSF)
  7. International Standards Organization (ISO)
  8. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
  9. Sustainable Games Alliance Standard (SGA)

Best practices

For the below, best practices are recognized by international standing, associations with a public body (or recognized group), or they are evidence-based and aligned to existing standards and conformance criteria for legislation stated above in the field of digital sustainability (giving such practices increased credibility).

Country / Region Name Published Maturity Responsible Entity
Global Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) 2025 Awaiting W3C Sustainable Web Interest Group
France Référentiel par Catégorie de produit (RCP) de services cloud et de centre de données 2025 Passed French Republic
France AFNOR SPEC 2314 2024 Passed Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR)
Global Ethical Web Principles 2024 Passed W3C Technical Architecture Group
France General Frugal AI Guidelines 2024 Passed Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR)
France General Policy Framework for the Ecodesign of Digital Services (GPF) 2024 Passed French Republic
Global Green Digital Declaration 2024 Passed COP29
European Union European Digital Rights and Principles 2023 Passed European Parliament
France AFNOR Spec 2201 2022 Passed Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR)
European Union Handbook of Sustainable Design of Digital Services (GR491) 2021 Passed Institute for Sustainable IT
Global Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence 2021 Passed UNESCO
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2016 Passed United Nations

Glossary

Awaiting

This status indicates that the item is either in development (draft), consultation, or awaiting approval.

Best Practice

Recognized and approved guidelines or techniques to meet standards or compliance targets.

Directive

A legislative act that sets out goals for individual member states to achieve. However, it is up to those member nations to devise their laws to reach the said goals.

Law

A law has completed the legislation process and is put into effect as the law of the land.

Passed

This status indicates that the item has passed all stages of development and should be considered in use.

Policy

Outlines the goals of a government ministry or agency as well as the methods and principles to achieve those goals. Policies are not laws but can lead to the development of laws.

Standard

A formal document that exists (in this context) to help with regulatory compliance.

Acknowledgments

Additional information about participation in the Sustainable Web Interest Group can be found within the GitHub repository of the Interest Group.

Participants active in the development of this document

Alexander Dawson, Francesco Fullone, Ian Jacobs, Neil Clark, Tim Frick, Tzviya Siegman