Goods and services make up a huge proportion of our carbon footprint – so we all have an opportunity to help make our procurement more sustainable and reduce emissions.
We spoke to National Procurement colleagues Saskia Quelleron (Climate Change and Circular Supply Lead) and Peter Beukes (Category Manager – Heat Purchase Agreement /Power Purchase Agreement) to find out more.
Saskia explains: “The products and services we procure account for over 60% of the NHS’s total carbon footprint.
“This means that making sustainable changes to what we buy, use and dispose of, across NHSScotland, can have a significant impact. Addressing supply chain emissions is vital to tackling climate change and helping us reach net zero.
“And it’s an area where we can all play a role.”
Saskia and Peter at Procurex Scotland 2024
Working in partnership
Peter continues: “National Procurement has a key role in reducing our carbon footprint, by influencing suppliers and leading on procurement activities and processes which promote a move to a more circular economy.
“But this is a collective goal. We’re not working on this alone – we benefit from collaborating with experts from other areas of NHSScotland including sustainability and clinical colleagues in boards, NHSScotland Assure, and the Scottish Government.
“To see the change we need, we all need to work together – with suppliers and with board colleagues.”
Your role as a health board – the voice of the customer
As speakers at Procurex Scotland 2024 in October, Saskia and Peter talked about the role ‘the customer’ plays in driving sustainable procurement.
As Saskia says: “When we talk about ‘the customer’, we mean our colleagues in boards, the people who ultimately use the products and services to do our jobs. We mean you.
“Each and every one of us needs to consider what we buy and the impact of choosing one product over another.
“A good example of this is our colleagues in the National Green Theatres Programme, who engage clinicians and practitioners to make sustainable choices that not only reduce the environmental impact of theatres, but also improve patient and staff experience, and often save money too. We see many other examples of this – people are looking at more sustainable options.
“This is what we need more of. And this is where everyone can play their part.
“While National Procurement works collaboratively with boards to determine which products go onto the procurement framework, it is boards who ultimately choose what they order, and how services are delivered.
“So you – and the purchasing power of your board – have a lot of influence.
How we can help – our sustainable procurement expertise
As Peter explains: “We know that clinical outcomes are the primary focus.
“Part of our role is to help you, as the ‘customers’ who buy the goods and services, make choices that deliver the same or comparable patient outcomes, while also meeting sustainability objectives.
“We do this by combining our procurement expertise with clinical and sustainability experts across NHSScotland and Scottish Government to provide the assurance and information you need to make these decisions.
The benefits of a circular economy
Saskia continues: “The most important way we can make procurement more sustainable is by increasing the ‘circularity’ of our goods.
“This means avoiding waste wherever we can, using products that can be reused and repaired. Where we do produce waste, it’s about effective recycling so we can maximise the value of waste by being able to separate and recover materials, which can then be remanufactured rather than needing to use new materials.
“Increasing circularity has so many co-benefits, including:
- “health – mitigating the effects of climate change is a key preventative measure for good population health
- “cost – circularity provides opportunities to save money across the supply chain (through limiting demand for materials, through ordering less and reusing more, and through reducing waste management costs, to give a few examples)”
Securing sustainable energy
Building energy emissions, from heating, lighting, and hospital activity, are the largest single source of emissions for NHSScotland – so securing sustainable energy solutions plays a crucial part in our sustainability goals.
This is where the work of Peter and his team comes in. As Peter explains: “our work involves negotiating long-term agreements with energy providers, ensuring that we purchase energy from renewable and low-carbon sources like wind, solar, and local heat networks.
“The service we provide supporting health boards with renewable energy procurement can help us to decarbonise our energy while making us more resilient by protecting against energy market price volatility.”
Working with the supply chain
Engaging with all areas of the supply chain – service users, suppliers and industry bodies – is vital to success.
Saskia talks about how we’re doing just that: “Earlier this year we launched our consultation process which helps us have that dialogue, so we can establish policy positions for NHSScotland procurement.
“Our first consultation was on plastics. After the online consultation, we had over 50 procurement staff and over 100 suppliers attend debrief sessions. Dialogue was open and constructive and there was overwhelming support for our approach and how we’re planning to get there.”
What can I do?
Saskia continues: “We want to work with you as early in the process as possible. This is how we ensure the goods and services we procure meet both clinical or operational needs and sustainability objectives.
“Please get in touch if you want to explore sustainable alternatives to what you’re buying. We’re keen to work with you – visit our National Procurement Governance and Sustainability SharePoint site to find our contact details and more.
“Working together is how we can help to tackle climate change and work towards our shared net zero targets.”