Newsletter Headline: #19 Net Zero Healthcare: Make Sustainable Purchasing Decisions
Sharpsmart UK
Partnering with clinical staff within the four walls of healthcare to provide safe, sustainable clinical waste solutions
Have you ever made a purchase that wasn’t entirely essential? Or procured to save money without looking at the long-term impacts?
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Welcome to Issue #19 of Waste Matters – our theme for this month is Net Zero Healthcare.
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What’s in this issue??
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Before getting stuck in, please consider joining our Network for Healthcare Heroes – our monthly provision of relevant up-to-date information, free resources, and guidance on all things healthcare waste.
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Questions to Ask When Procuring Sustainably
The real secret to sustainable procurement is asking questions, and asking lots of them. Here are 10 questions you can ask when looking to procure a new product. This will help you make more informed purchasing decisions in line with your sustainability objectives.
#1 – Is the product or service necessary, or can we eliminate it to reduce consumption?
#2 – Is the supplier willing to reduce waste and minimise packaging?
#3 – Are we purchasing the correct amount?
#4 – What can we do to eliminate waste or reliance on single-use items?
#5 – Are there reusable options instead of single-use?
#6 – What materials are used in the product? Are they from renewable sources?
#7 – Can we verify the environmental claims of the supplier?
#8 – Does the product or service align with our organisation’s sustainability goals?
#9 – Can the supplier take back the product at end-of-life for repurposing?
#10 – Have we considered the entire product or service lifecycle, from raw materials to disposal?
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Worried about trying to remember these questions? No need, we’ve got you covered!
Our sustainable procurement checklist is free to download and contains an extra seven questions to help you make environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.
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The Secret to Sustainable Procurement within Healthcare
As well as the checklist of questions, we feel it’s worth sharing the key takeaways from our blog ‘The Secret to Sustainable Procurement within Healthcare’.
Strategic Shift: Sustainable procurement is a strategic approach that prioritises environmental and social benefits alongside traditional purchasing needs. This strategy focuses on long-term impact, not just cost.
Bottom Line Impact: Implementing sustainable procurement reduces carbon emissions, minimises waste and resource use, and enhances social responsibility and reputation.
Actionable Steps: To implement sustainable procurement, you could:
o?? Develop a formal policy
o?? Assess current practices to identify gaps and areas for improvement
o?? Engage suppliers in collaborative sustainability efforts
o?? Help other staff understand sustainable procurement principles
o?? Monitor and report on progress
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Best Practices:
o?? Maximise reuse of existing items
o?? Reduce packaging waste
o?? Promote recycling and waste reduction initiatives
o?? Consider the entire product lifecycle
o?? Collaborate with suppliers
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NHS Policy Alignment: Be aware of and comply with NHS procurement policies, which increasingly prioritise environmental and social factors, including carbon reduction plans and emissions reporting requirements for suppliers.
What’s coming in the next issue?
We hope you found this issue helpful – the theme for our February issue is Healthcare Workers!
We’d welcome any feedback on topics and themes you’d like to see in future issues.
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If you enjoyed the content in this newsletter, please consider joining our Network for Healthcare Heroes. We expand on content like this in more depth, as well as provide free resources and guidance on all things healthcare waste.
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