June 26, 2026

Do you supply the NHS? Emerging sustainability requirements you should be aware of

As London Climate Action Week comes to a conclusion during the hottest week recorded in June, our business associate Geri Findlay is informing us of an important update, in case your organisation currently supplies products or services to the NHS, or intends to tender for NHS work in the future, as there are some emerging sustainability requirements that you may not be aware of that may be worth considering.

The NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment (ESSA) forms part of the wider NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap and is increasingly being used to assess supplier sustainability maturity, environmental performance, governance arrangements and progress towards Net Zero.

Unlike ESOS or SECR, applicability is not determined by organisation size. Instead, the key consideration is whether your organisation supplies, or intends to supply, the NHS supply chain. Key NHS milestones include:

Current expectations
- Completion of the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment.
- Demonstration of sustainability governance and management arrangements.
- Evidence of carbon reduction activities and environmental management.
April 2027
- Public reporting of Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
- Carbon Reduction Plans.
- Net Zero commitments and progress reporting.
April 2028
- Introduction of product and service carbon footprint requirements across many procurement categories.

As clients of ours you may already have some of the building blocks in place through activities such as SECR reporting, ESOS compliance, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems and 50001 Energy Management Systems, carbon footprinting and GHG reporting, environmental and energy auditing and sustainability action plans.

However, NHS expectations are increasingly focused on demonstrating:

Formal Carbon Reduction Plans.
Scope 3 emissions management.
Net Zero transition planning (aligned with the PPN06/21).
Sustainable procurement.
Supply chain engagement.

If you would like to discuss how these requirements may affect your organisation, either if you currently supply the NHS or believe you may be affected by future NHS procurement requirements, feel free to be in touch to discuss your current position and help identify any gaps together with our business associates!