The P4CR documents have been produced for comment. We would encourage you to feedback using the
template which is included as appendix 1 – or send comments to sustainable.procurement@dh.gsi.gov.uk.
1
Procuring for Carbon Reduction (P4CR)
P4CR Executive Summary
More than half of the NHS England total carbon footprint is associated with the
products and services it procures. Carbon emissions associated with the extraction,
processing, assembly, packaging, transport, storage and handling of products and
materials that are consumed directly and indirectly by service providers account for
60% of the total NHS England carbon footprint.
Graph to show the NHS Carbon Footprint breakdown of emissions associated
with Procurement
Procurement activities in the NHS are a significant contributor to our overall impact
and there is a clear need to address this. (NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy, ‘Saving
Carbon, Improving Health’, 2009). The NHS does not have direct control over all the
actions of its supply chains and while the overall expenditure of the NHS is large, the
scope for improvement and influence is not uniform across all of the products and
services procured.
The NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy recognises these challenges in the area of
procurement and committed NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA), the
Department of Health and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) to develop
guidance for procurement professionals on how they can effectively consider and
address carbon emissions through procurement.
Procuring for Carbon Reduction (P4CR) was created to deliver this commitment. It is
a programme comprising a range of supporting materials, resources and tools
developed as a first stage in this process and on which your views are now sought.
The Procuring for Carbon Reduction toolkit is comprised of:
 A Roadmap – a PowerPoint slide pack setting out an overview of the P4CR
programme and an indication of the carbon reduction required through
procurement to keep the NHS in line with regulatory UK carbon emission
reduction targets. These materials have been developed to help communicate
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the scale of the challenge and to identify what is being put in place to support
the NHS in meeting this challenge.
Draft Guidance – a workbook style set of practical guidance aimed at
procurement practitioners. The guidance is structured around a procurement
flexible framework. This is a maturity matrix (included separately) that has
been tried and tested across the public sector. It sets out the steps
recommended for organisations to consider the carbon impacts of their
procurement decisions effectively and enable them to deliver quantifiable
carbon emission reductions.
A SCO2PE supply prioritisation tool – this Excel based tool allows
organisations to calculate an approximate carbon footprint by inputting their
expenditure data by category. The tool provides a further screening
methodology that will help to prioritise which categories of spend offer the
greatest potential for carbon emission reductions.
A Hierarchy of Interventions – this simple concept is central to the P4CR
guidance. It aims to assist procurers in identifying the most appropriate
interventions to take with groups of or individual suppliers.
The P4CR Hierarchy of Interventions
In addition to these materials the P4CR programme has been working with a range of
NHS and other organisations on a series of pilot studies. These pilot studies have
been initiated to help illustrate key principles of P4CR. They also provide examples
of good and best practice that others may find useful to adopt and deliver carbon
emission reductions in their organisations.
The P4CR programme is always looking for examples of good and best practice from
across the NHS and is keen to work with NHS organisations to pull out the potential
for carbon reduction and develop compelling case studies.
The P4CR documents have been produced for comment. We would encourage you to feedback using the
template which is included as appendix 1 – or send comments to sustainable.procurement@dh.gsi.gov.uk.
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The P4CR Roadmap and supporting materials are primarily designed as tools for
procurement staff, however there is a wider message and opportunity that all NHS
organisations should be aware of. Reducing carbon and procuring sustainably
should be a corporate priority and included in your organisation’s sustainable
development management plan. It should have an assigned strategic and
operational lead to ensure that progress is monitored and commitments/targets
achieved. Procuring in a carbon sensitive way should be communicated to all staff
and those who supply NHS organisations.
The P4CR Roadmap provides an indication of the reduction in carbon emissions
required through procurement to keep the NHS in line with regulatory UK carbon
emission reduction targets. The chart below shows aspirational levels of reduction for
the NHS on a trajectory that is aligned with regulatory milestones set for 2020 and
2050. Overlaid on this are the estimated reductions that each of the interventions in
the hierarchy would contribute.
It is clear that this is a significant challenge. It will require everyone in the NHS to
think creatively about how to deliver health and social care now and into the future.
Substitution, innovation and effective engagement with suppliers will all become
significant elements of carbon reduction strategies.
The NHS has a responsibility, as the largest employer and public sector emitter of
carbon, to take this issue seriously. It has a unique status, given its size and
procurement budgets, to lead the change and drive the creation of low carbon
markets.
The P4CR documents have been produced for comment. We would encourage you to feedback using the
template which is included as appendix 1 – or send comments to sustainable.procurement@dh.gsi.gov.uk.
4
The relationship and collaboration with suppliers has the potential to provide the
largest carbon savings. The NHS is not in this alone; all organisations are beginning
to look at their carbon impacts and are addressing the same challenges. There will
be more chance of success by working together.
P4CR aims to provide procurement professionals, as well as other staff in the NHS,
with guidance, methodologies and tools to identify and understand the carbon
reduction opportunities for their organisation.
It is recognised that the NHS does not have total control over what it procures and
the supply chains associated with that activity. It is also clear that there are large
gaps in our understanding about the root of carbon emissions associated with much
of what is bought. The emissions reduction challenge means that no-one can afford
to sit back and wait for someone else to find the solution. Starting to take action
today and accepting the learning on the way is important. The NHS is at the forefront
of work on how to influence carbon emissions associated with procurement and in
many cases leading the way.
The P4CR materials issued with this document are a first attempt at answering the
questions of what to do and how to do it. Practitioners across a range of NHS
organisations need to apply their experience to these materials to help strengthen
and improve them.
Using this guidance should help you prepare your organisation to buy more
sustainably. It should help you understand the carbon impacts of what you buy, use
and waste and to start reducing carbon emissions today.
Four things you can do to get started with Procuring for Carbon Reduction.
1. Identify a champion to lead your work.
2. Benchmark your organisation against the P4CR Flexible Framework
(presented in the guidance).
3. Use the SCO2PE tool to start identifying your carbon hotspots.
4. Start to raise awareness of carbon and emissions and build confidence
of key procurement staff on this issue.
The P4CR documents have been produced for comment. We would encourage you to feedback using the
template which is included as appendix 1 – or send comments to sustainable.procurement@dh.gsi.gov.uk.
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