Publish date: 16 March 2026
21 March is World Sustainable Procurement Day, a great opportunity to highlight the progress we’re making in reducing our environmental impact through smarter, more sustainable purchasing.
Over the past year, we’ve removed more than 6 tonnes of CO₂e associated with single‑use plastics from our supply chain. This has been achieved through practical changes such as switching from single‑use plastic cups to paper alternatives, removing plastic cutlery from cafés, and replacing plastic medication dispensing cups with paper versions across much of our inpatient services. To put this into perspective, this saving is equivalent to around 22,000 miles driven in a car, or 12 long‑haul flights from London to New York.
Alongside this, a reusable sharps box is currently being trialled, reducing reliance on single‑use plastics even further.
We’re also keen to promote our Reuse Hub, which supports the most sustainable form of procurement of all – not buying anything new at all. Reusing existing equipment and resources helps reduce waste, cut emissions and make better use of what we already have.
Finally, we’re aligning with national NHS work through the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment, now rolled out to ensure suppliers are sharing consistent sustainability information and supporting the NHS’s net zero ambitions. This helps us make more informed, responsible procurement decisions and strengthens sustainability across the entire supply chain.
Together, these changes show how everyday procurement decisions can make a real difference to our environmental impact.