The NHS employs approximately 1.8 million people across the UK, and has constantly over 200,000 future workers enrolled in training.
This operational scale comes with its own environmental trade-offs, namely the estimated operational 27 MtCO2e emitted each year, making the NHS responsible for approximately 5% of the UK’s carbon footprint and accounting for 30-40% of all public sector emissions. A significant part of these emissions, around 60%, come from the NHS’ supply chain.
To address this, the NHS launched its Greener NHS Net Zero and Sustainability Commitments in 2020, including the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, a mandatory action plan for NHS suppliers to ensure they align with the NHS targets of reaching net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040, and for Scope 3 by 2045. Since April 2022, a minimum 10% weighting on net zero and social value has applied to all NHS tenders.
Within this Roadmap sits the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment, a sustainability requirement for NHS Supply Chain members. Its requirements were updated this year and are set to change again in 2027. This is everything you need to know to comply.
What is the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap?
The NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap sets out what sustainability requirements apply to NHS suppliers, and when. It governs two linked requirements: the Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP), an annual and publicly published document under Procurement Policy Note 006 (PPN 006, formerly PPN 06/21); and the Evergreen Assessment, the self-reporting tool through which suppliers prove they meet the Roadmap's requirements.
You cannot complete an Evergreen without an up-to-date CRP as its data is the primary evidence behind your assessment. Minimum 10% of procurement decision criteria tied to net zero and social value
What are the application phases of the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap?
The Net Zero Supplier Roadmap has a phased rollout, beginning in April 2022.
Who must comply with the Roadmap, and when?
Currently, all NHS Supply Chain bidders and pharmaceutical suppliers are obligated to complete the Evergreen Assessment. Completion is advised for every supplier however, since carbon reporting and reduction progress becomes a condition of qualifying for all NHS contracts from 2030.
What is the Carbon Reduction Plan?
A CRP is an annually published document that outlines a company's current carbon footprint and action plan to reach net zero. The current CRP required for NHS supplier hopefuls must be compliant under PPN 006. It is pass / fail, and a failing grade immediately renders the supplier ineligible for tender consideration.
What does the Carbon Reduction Plan require?
The new NHS CRP requirements will come into effect 1 April 2027, replacing previous requirements for all newly commenced in-scope procurements.
They will apply to all procurements exceeding £5 million per annum (including VAT), and to all new frameworks, framework agreements and dynamic markets, irrespective of value, unless deemed disproportionate, in which case the 2024 CRP tier applies instead.
Key points to note when completing a CRP as a non-UK company
Under the current PPN 006 CRP, non-UK companies are required to complete the plan from their UK-generated emissions and the emissions directly tied to fulfilling the UK contract. This is set to expand to globally generated emissions in April 2027.
The official UK Government Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting, published annually by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), are mandated for measuring UK-generated emissions under PPN 006.
Where a Scope 3 category is judged not relevant under the 2027 tier, suppliers must provide an explanation aligned to the GHG Protocol standard, or risk failing their CRP assessment.
CPRs must be published on the bidding suppliers website, and it is recommended that suppliers review and update their plans within 6 months of the organisation’s financial year-end to stay within the 18 month limit.
What is the Evergreen Assessment and what are the possible Evergreen Assessment maturity levels?
The Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment is a required disclosure exercise for new and renewing NHS suppliers that measures to what extent they align with NHS environmental, net-zero, and sustainability priorities
Suppliers complete the Evergreen Assessment autonomously on the Atamis Supplier Portal. The Assessment takes the form of a questionnaire varying from around 170 - 220 questions depending on the size and structure of the tender.
For Evergreen questions that are ambiguous or require additional information, suppliers are able to submit queries via the clarification function, and receive a response before submission if appropriate deadlines are respected. It is important to fully understand the goals of each question before answering, and suppliers are advised to read through the whole questionnaire before drafting responses.
Following completion, the Evergreen Assessment awards a score demonstrating the maturity of a suppliers’ sustainability journey against NHS commitments.
As of 6 April 2026, Level 1 at the bid submission deadline is the regulatory threshold for all supplier hopefuls. From April 2027, Level 2 maturity will be required.
H2: Step-by-Step 2026 Evergreen Compliance Checklist
- Calculate your emissions. Calculate your current emissions across Scope 1, Scope 2 and relevant Scope 3 categories (falling within 18 months before tender submission), following the GHG Protocol.
Establish a baseline year against which progress is assessed. If your company has not previously assessed or reported emissions, state this and use your first reporting period as the baseline.
- Build or update your Carbon Reduction Plan. Set your emission reduction targets. Ensure your CRP is board-approved, published on your website, and within the required data currency window, annually at minimum, more often if your emissions profile changes materially.
- Complete your Evergreen Assessment. Submit via Atamis, targeting at least Level 1 now, with Level 2 required from April 2027.
- Prepare for product-level carbon footprinting (PCF). Data infrastructure built today for Scope 3 reporting will scale directly into the 2028 PCF requirement and the 2030 qualification threshold.
Scope 3 emissions remain the largest blind spot for most suppliers, and the hardest gap to close. Tracking emissions across global supply chains requires a centralised reporting system that's fully customised to your business and GHG Protocol-compliant.
Sami's all-in-one carbon accounting and ESG management platform, paired with SGS's expert UK consultancy, is your toolbox for Evergreen and 2027 NHS CRP compliance, and the sustainability work that follows it. Begin the consolidation, analysis and validation of your emissions data today.
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