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by Kelly Harris, Senior Category Manager – Digital & IT NHS Shared Business Services. |
World Earth Day is a reminder that action matters. As the climate conversation moves from awareness to delivery, organisations across every sector are rethinking how decisions are made – and in healthcare, those decisions carry real environmental weight.
Supply chain emissions from NHS suppliers account for approximately 61% to 62% of the total NHS Carbon Footprint Plus, representing over 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
This World Earth Day, we’re highlighting how NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) Framework Agreements are helping customers embed sustainability into everyday decisions – reducing carbon, cutting waste and supporting long-term resilience.
Sustainability and social value are not add-ons within our framework agreements, they are built in. From circular economy models to low carbon innovation, they are designed to support net zero ambitions while delivering value and better outcomes. Below, we showcase a small selection from our portfolio that demonstrates how sustainable procurement delivers real-world impact.
Supporting sustainable care
Acute and Community Health and Social Care Equipment Products and Services supports high-quality patient care while helping reduce environmental impact. Suppliers are required to minimise the footprint of their products and services, demonstrate continuous improvement and support the NHS’s net zero ambition.
By prioritising reuse, repair and refurbishment, reducing single use products and improving packaging sustainability, the framework agreement helps create a more resilient, environmentally responsible supply chain – where sustainability is a requirement, not an aspiration.
Turning Net Zero ambitions into action
Decarbonisation of Estates helps Trusts move from ambition to delivery by providing access to specialist suppliers who can implement practical, on-site solutions. These include energy-efficiency upgrades, low-carbon heating systems, solar PV installations and wider estate improvements that reduce emissions while improving building performance. The framework agreement supports Trusts to modernise and extend the life of existing buildings rather than replacing them, significantly reducing embodied carbon while managing long-term running costs. It’s a clear example of how procurement enables sustainability – turning policy into progress.
Reducing waste through smarter prescribing
Medicines Optimisation Prescribing Decision Support Systems 3 supports safer, more effective prescribing by helping clinicians make informed choices. Ensuring patients receive the right medicine, at the right time and in the right quantity improves outcomes while reducing waste.
Smarter prescribing and better stock management cut overprescribing and unnecessary disposal, lowering the carbon impact of manufacturing and supply. Improved adherence also reduces preventable admissions, easing pressure on services and the environment.
Rethinking waste as a resource
Waste transformation is central to delivering the ambitions of the NHS England Clinical Waste Strategy. Sustainable Healthcare Recycling & Waste Management supports Trusts to reduce carbon, improve segregation, cut reliance on high-temperature treatment, and move toward a more circular, resource-efficient system.
Alongside core waste services, it offers specialist consultancy to help customers identify carbon hotspots, redesign waste flows, and improve segregation at source. Together, these services help Trusts rethink how resources move through their estates – delivering measurable progress toward a cleaner, more resilient NHS.
Cleaner transport, healthier environments
Sustainable Transport and Infrastructure supports Trusts to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, modernise fleets, and enable cleaner commuting for staff and patients. Non-emergency patient transport services alone accounts for an estimated 57–65 kilotonnes of CO₂ each year, making transport a key focus for emissions reduction.
Embedding sustainability into transport procurement – through local supply chains, smarter route planning and reduced idling – helps cut emissions while improving service quality. With £22 million of government investment already accelerating EV charge point rollout across NHS sites, our framework agreement helps ensure infrastructure is future-ready, scalable and aligned with the NHS’s net zero target of 2040.
Giving technology a second life
Lot 4 of Tech Devices – Link 4 focuses on refurbished and remanufactured equipment, helping extend device lifecycles and reduce demand for new manufacturing – one of the most carbon-intensive stages of a product’s lifecycle.
With e-waste one of the fastest-growing global waste streams, choosing refurbished devices significantly reduces landfill, conserves raw materials and cuts carbon emissions. Remanufacturing typically uses far fewer resources and less energy than producing new equipment, directly supporting net zero ambitions while delivering cost-effective procurement.
Flexible routes to a sustainable market
Our framework agreements are open to the NHS and wider public sector, offering flexible routes to market through direct award or further competition. Our category experts are on hand to support organisations choose the most effective route to drive value, outcomes and sustainability impact.
This World Earth Day, sustainable procurement isn’t just about reducing harm. It’s about using every decision as an opportunity to create lasting benefits – for patients, for the NHS and for the planet.
