NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap: New Requirements for All Suppliers in 2027

The NHS has long been recognised as both a world-leading healthcare system and one of the UK’s largest public sector greenhouse gas emitters due to large energy consumption and healthcare waste. As part of its commitment to achieve net zero by 2040 for direct emissions and 2045 for indirect emissions, the NHS has been steadily tightening expectations for its supply chain which is responsible for more than 60% of its carbon footprint.  In April 2027, these supplier expectations take a significant step forward when the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap require all suppliers to publicly report targets, disclose their full greenhouse gas emissions, and publish a comprehensive Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP). Crucially, this must cover all global scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 emissions.

This marks a major increase from the previous requirements, which only mandates reporting on scope 1, scope 2, and five categories of scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions for certain contracts.

What is Changing?

1. Full Scope 1, 2, and 3 Reporting

Before April 2027, healthcare suppliers bidding for NHS contracts above specific thresholds needed to account for their operational emissions and a limited subset of scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) categories, such as business travel, employee commuting, waste, and upstream & downstream transportation.

Under the April 2027 requirements, all suppliers must measure and report all material scope 3 GHG categories, such as:

• Purchased Goods and Services
• Capital Goods
• Fuel and energy-related activities
• Processing & Use of Sold Products
• End-of-life treatment
• Investments, Franchises, and Leased assets

This expands the accountability from a partial assessment to a complete picture of organisational climate impact. This ensures transparency and allows the NHS to track climate performance across its full healthcare supplier base.

2. Carbon Reduction Plans Covering Global Operations

Suppliers carbon reduction plans (CRPs) must include:

• A forward-looking emissions reduction strategy
• Actions and investments planned across the entire supplier organisation, not just UK operations, supplying the NHS
• Alignment with NHS net zero timelines

For many life sciences suppliers, especially those with global supply chains, this involves deeper collaboration with healthcare and healthtech partners, improved emissions data collection, and lifecycle-based thinking around products and services.

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Why This Matters:

Given the scale of the NHS' healthcare procurement, life science and all other suppliers play a pivotal role in whether the NHS will meet its net zero commitments. The new requirements for suppliers ensure:

• Consistency across the entire supplier base
• Reliability of emissions data
• Accountability for delivering against real climate targets
• Better decision-making through transparent and comparable sustainability information

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The Business Case for Suppliers to Healthcare:

‍While some organisations may view the expanded requirements as challenging, the benefits are compelling:

✔ Access to NHS Markets: Compliance is quickly becoming a prerequisite for bidding on NHS contracts.

✔ Competitive Advantage: Early adopters stand out as climate-responsible partners and may benefit from future sustainability-weighted green procurement scoring.

✔ Improved Operational Efficiency: Carbon measurement frequently uncovers opportunities to cut fossil fuel and other energy use, reduce waste, and streamline supply chains, driving tangible cost savings.

✔ Enhanced Investor, Customer and Employee Confidence: Public reporting boosts supplier credibility and aligns with growing expectations around environmental, social, and corporate (ESG) transparency, and communicates commitment to a sustainable, healthy future.

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Preparing for the 2027 Requirements

‍Suppliers should take immediate action to:

1. Establish full scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions baselines
2. Implement robust data-gathering processes (including supplier engagement)
3. Consider setting science-aligned net zero targets
4. Develop or update their annual carbon reduction plan
5. Publish emissions data and targets via a carbon reduction plan on a publicly accessible webpage
6. Embed carbon considerations into product development and supply chain decisions

One way to address these needs is via Nocomed's sustainability software platform for life sciences and healthcare organisations.

Looking Ahead

The strengthened NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap underscores a clear message: decarbonisation is no longer optional. As climate commitments tighten across the public sector, suppliers who act now, like Kora Healthcare, are best placed to thrive in a low-carbon future. The NHS has the scale and influence to drive transformative change across global healthcare supply chains. With these new requirements, it has set a new benchmark for climate-aligned procurement and encourages suppliers to join the journey toward a healthier, more sustainable future. 

And it’s not just the UK. Other global healthcare systems are closely watching the NHS framework and adopting similar expectations for supply chain transparency and full-scope emissions reporting. The NHS is effectively shaping international best practice. Life science and other healthcare suppliers and that adapt early position themselves strongly, not only in the UK market but across emerging global standards. Here at NocoMed that's part of our mission.