NHS Require Suppliers to Have Carbon Reduction Plan from April 2023
NHS suppliers will have to start showing their carbon reduction plan from April 2023 for their UK scope 1 and 2 emissions and some scope emissions. This will initially apply to contracts above £5m per year, but will extend to all contracts by April 2024.
Further, from April 2027, all suppliers will have to publicly report targets, emissions and publish a carbon reduction plan for all global emissions, for all scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. They will have to align to the NHS net zero target - which is to achieve net zero by 2050 or ideally earlier.
In the meantime, since April 2022, there has been a requirement for any suppliers to the NHS to follow the PPN 06/20 Social Value Model, which mandates a minimum weighting of 10% of the total score of any tender evaluation to apply to social value across five themes:
- Fighting climate change.
- Tackling economic inequality.
- Wellbeing.
- COVID-19 recovery.
- Equal opportunity.
These were the headlines from a webinar for EMIG provided by Benjamin Calder-Travis, the Net-Zero and Sustainability Project Manager and a member of the procurement team at NHS England, and hosted by EMIG Chair, Leslie Galloway.
The comments from Mr Calder-Travis were very positive - in the sense that there was an acknowledgement of the change that this was bringing to suppliers, but the NHS is keen to work collaboratively to set suppliers up for success in achieving these requirements. There would be more specific NHS guidance on carbon reduction plans coming later this year. Suppliers would either pass or fail on the requirements, so they need to be in the pass camp if they want to continue supplying. The NHS will continue to raise public awareness and engage in weekly webinars and direct supplier communications, as well as through EMIG and other trade bodies and events.
How Do You Want to Get Involved?
I am Co-Chair of the EMIG Compliance Special Interest Group, and would be interested in hearing how pharma businesses would like to engage with NHS England on this process.