Procurement Easy Wins

General:

• Prioritise contracts with the greatest sustainability opportunities and ease of implementation for immediate action.
• Use Whole Life Costing to identify the lower operating and disposal costs of sustainable alternatives.

Food:

• The choice of retail outlets or vending machines in NHS buildings sends strong subliminal messages about what constitutes healthy eating. Change your vending machine offer to healthier options, including fruit juices, sourced locally where possible.
• Procure fresh, seasonal foods to reduce ‘food miles’ and carbon emissions
• Work with and support local businesses and social enterprises when sourcing food
• Source eco-friendly products and services to reduce carbon emissions and boost the local economy
• Actively choose products with less packaging waste 
• Recycle organic waste

IT & Other:

• Paper: Purchase of recycled copying paper & envelopes and recycled tissue paper, to reduce the amount of waste paper sent to landfill or incineration, and to reduce the amount of virgin fibre needed
• Purchase of cleaning products* that are biodegradable and/or have minimal chemical content. This reduces the environmental impact during the production and use of these products. *Includes laundry and dishwasher detergents
• Purchase of workstations with low energy consumption to reduce the amount of energy consumed throughout the life cycle, the amount of waste sent to landfill and noise levels.
• Investigate the purchase of remanufactured goods to save money and carbon