Digital Eco-Efficiency in Latin American Higher Education Websites
A Comparative Analysis of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19219342 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Angel Torres-Toukoumidis (0000-0002-7727-3985, Politecnica Salesiana University, corresponding author), Esteban Inga (0000-0002-0837-0642), Esteban Inga Ortega (Politecnica Salesiana University), Gerardo Karbaum-Padilla (0000-0002-8089-3640, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences), Diego Vintimilla-León (0000-0002-8127-426X, Politecnica Salesiana University), Daniel Pinargo Oña (0009-0009-5777-3921, Politecnica Salesiana University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0300-7839 • E-ISSN: 1572-9915 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10745-026-00702-4 |
| OpenAlex | W7162783968 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
We examined the digital environmental performance of university websites in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, focusing on the technical characteristics of institutional web infrastructures and their associated carbon footprint. Using a quantitative, comparative design, we analyzed 203 university websites with two widely used assessment tools: EcoIndex and Website Carbon Calculator. The analysis considered indicators of technical efficiency, including efficiency scores, data transfer weight, structural complexity measured by DOM elements, and estimated CO2 emissions per page load. The results reveal a general pattern of digital inefficiency across the three countries, with more than 80% of the institutions analyzed classified in the lowest performance categories. While EcoIndex scores show relatively homogeneous patterns at the country level, estimates from the Website Carbon Calculator show greater variability, with Peruvian universities exhibiting higher average emissions than those in Ecuador and Colombia. This divergence reflects the distinct analytical scope of each tool and underscores the importance of considering both structural and contextual dimensions when assessing digital sustainability. Overall, the findings highlight a mismatch between institutional sustainability discourses and the technical performance of university web platforms. From an exploratory perspective, they highlight the potential relevance of incorporating digital carbon footprint indicators into discussions of higher education governance and accreditation, while emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation given the study’s descriptive, cross-sectional nature
Calculator · Carbon Footprint · Corporate governance · Higher education · Inefficiency · Latin Americans · Relevance (law) · Scope (computer science) · Sustainability · Green IT and Sustainability · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Sustainability in Higher Education
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |