Meeting NHS Net Zero Requirements: A Supplier's Guide

The NHS has set one of the most ambitious climate goals in the world: Net Zero by 2040 for direct emissions, and by 2045 for its wider supply chain. Given that the NHS is responsible for around 4–5% of the UK’s total carbon footprint, it’s no surprise that suppliers are being asked to step up.

If your business provides goods or services to the NHS - from medical devices and catering to IT consultancy and cleaning - your sustainability credentials now directly affect your ability to win contracts. What was once optional has become a core part of public procurement, and the scope of contracts included is expanding.

Understanding the NHS Net Zero Requirements

The central policy is Procurement Policy Note 06/21 (PPN 06/21). It requires:

• A Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) from all suppliers bidding for contracts above £5m annually.
• Measurement of Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (energy), and selected Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions.
• A commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050 at the latest.
• Annual updates to demonstrate progress.

While this currently applies to the largest contracts, NHS England has been clear: these requirements will cascade down to smaller suppliers over the coming years. Acting early avoids last-minute compliance scrambles and positions you as a partner of choice.

The Supplier Challenge

For many organisations—particularly SMEs—the barriers are familiar:

Data collection: Most solutions assume you can provide detailed activity data (litres of diesel, kWh of electricity). But smaller businesses rarely track this consistently.

Scope 3 complexity: Supplier and product emissions are often the largest share of your footprint, but also the hardest to measure.

Audit readiness: NHS procurement teams need confidence that your data is credible, not a rough estimate typed into a form.

A Practical Pathway for Suppliers

The good news is that compliance doesn’t have to mean consultants, months of data wrangling, or expensive enterprise tools. With a progressive approach you can build a defensible footprint now and improve accuracy over time.

Start with what you have—your spend data Using a transaction-based carbon footprinting approach, you can transform financial records into a complete emissions baseline in days. This covers all categories—including Scope 3—from day one.

Refine over time with better data As you engage your supply chain, you can replace default emissions factors with supplier-specific or product-specific data. We explain this step-by-step in From Default to Supplier-Specific: How to Refine Your Carbon Footprint.

Align with NHS and regulatory frameworks A robust carbon accounting platform will map your data to the GHG Protocol, generate a compliant Carbon Reduction Plan, and provide an audit trail for procurement.

Show real reduction actions NHS buyers want to see evidence of change: switching to renewable energy tariffs, introducing greener travel policies, or sourcing sustainable materials. Reporting should demonstrate not just measurement, but momentum.

Why This Matters Beyond Procurement

Meeting NHS Net Zero requirements isn’t just about ticking a compliance box. It brings broader benefits:

• Competitive advantage – Sustainability scores are now weighted in NHS tenders. Suppliers with robust data have an edge.
• Cost savings – Emissions hotspots often align with financial waste (e.g. travel, energy inefficiency).
• Future-proofing – Other public and private sector clients are following the NHS’s lead.
• Employee engagement – Demonstrating climate action strengthens culture and talent retention.

Where Emitrics Fits In

This is exactly the problem Emitrics was built to solve. Instead of requiring specialist sustainability teams or months of manual data entry, our platform:

• Automates calculation by analysing financial transactions and applying emissions factors.
• Covers all scopes from day one, including Scope 3 supply chain emissions.
• Supports progressive refinement, moving from default to supplier-specific factors.
• Transforms data into insight, highlighting cost and carbon hotspots that matter most for reduction.

Where large enterprise platforms are too complex and SMB calculators are too shallow, Emitrics provides the right balance for NHS suppliers: accessible, credible, and audit-ready.