Reducing Carbon Impact Through Supplier Collaboration 

This blog series highlights our efforts over the past year to work with key suppliers through the Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) programme.

By engaging closely with our supply base, we are gaining insight into their carbon reduction strategies and identifying opportunities to collaborate on sustainable products, pathways, and packaging to help the NHS achieve net zero.

The NHS has a clear and achievable plan to reach net zero:

• NHS Carbon Footprint (direct emissions, the carbon footprint the NHS controls): Net zero by 2040, with an 80% reduction target by 2028 – 2032.
• NHS Carbon Footprint Plus (indirect emissions, the carbon footprint which the NHS can influence, including supply chain): Net zero by 2045, with an 80% reduction target by 2036 – 2039.

With 62% of NHS England’s total carbon footprint coming from procured goods and services, NHS Supply Chain plays a crucial role in reducing emissions. As the organisation responsible for sourcing and delivering £4 billion worth of goods and services annually, we must assess our product portfolio and drive impactful carbon reduction efforts.

Reaching net zero is a long-term target but the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap sets out the staged milestones that the supply base need to reach in order to close the gap on net zero.

This is where our suppliers have a big part to play. While the NHS can modify the way it consumes goods and services to reduce carbon emissions, part of the supply chain emissions can only be reduced by suppliers themselves.

Through the SRM programme and our Sustainability team’s analysis, we have identified suppliers with the highest carbon impact. There is a strong link between our top spending suppliers and top carbon emitters.

The breakdown of emissions is striking:

• Top 25% of emissions come from just six suppliers.
• Top 50% of emissions are from 23 suppliers.
• Top 80% of emissions are tied to 107 suppliers.

Suppliers are already making significant progress. Many have established near-time carbon reduction goals, are advancing through Evergreen assessment levels, and are obtaining verified targets through Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Reducing emissions requires more than supplier engagement — it calls for collaboration across functions. Our Sustainability, Procurement, Innovation, and Health Economics teams are working together to integrate sustainability into purchasing decisions.

Throughout this blog series, we will explore interventions that support the NHS to:

• Buy Less – Reducing consumption where possible.
• Buy Better – Sourcing more sustainable alternatives.
• Buy Differently – Optimising procurement for greater environmental benefits.

Additionally, suppliers are advancing pathway efficiency initiatives to shift care from acute settings to community-based models, enhancing prevention and early diagnosis, and integrating sustainability into healthcare practices. Many are actively participating in multi-stakeholder collaborations such as the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, leveraging partnerships to drive industry-wide progress.

By mobilising key suppliers and embracing cross-sector collaboration, NHS Supply Chain is accelerating the journey to net zero. Stay tuned as we highlight real-world sustainability interventions shaping the future of NHS procurement.