Introduction

We’re working towards a sustainable future. This policy outlines Hospital Direct Ltd approach to our ongoing efforts to reduce any environmental impact of our business activities and the activities of people and organisations that we come into contact with.

Hospital Direct recognises the need for businesses to take fully committed proactive action across the full range of environmental and sustainability issues.  To this end Hospital Direct decided to join Zellar’s sustainability platform. This platform helps:

1. us to measure our current sustainability performance
2. creates a plan with tangible and monitorable actions to deliver on our sustainability commitments.

Here is our Zellar profile:
Hospital Direct

Commitment to achieving Net Zero

Hospital Direct (Marketing) Ltd is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030 Scope 1 and 2035 – 2040 Scope 2 and 3.

Baseline Emissions Footprint

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction can be measured.

Baseline Year: 2022/2023

Additional Details relating to the Baseline Emissions calculations.

The bulk of emissions are from Scope 3. Sources – we have used internationally accepted CO2e figures for product life cycles – manufacture to disposal. However, work is being undertaken to considerally reduce these omissions by replacing current techniques with those using recycled plastics.
Techniques are not yet fully commercialised. Nevertheless, it will hopefully be possible to offer product solutions from these sources in 2025/2026.

Any changes in CO2e for the current reporting year will be the result of additional business won or improved efficiencies in reducing CO2e emissions.

Baseline year emissions: 2023

Current Emissions Reporting

Reporting Year: 2024/2025

Emissions reduction targets

In order to continue our progress to achieving Net Zero, we have adopted the following carbon reduction targets.
We project that carbon emissions will decrease over the next five years to 688.52 tCO2e by 2030. This is a reduction of 60%.

Hospital Direct (Marketing) Ltd commits to minimising the impact on the environment through:

• Asking for the environmental policy of our suppliers and offering them viable offsetting options where appropriate e.g. tree planting.
• Changing those suppliers who do not show any awareness or commitment to sustainability where feasible.
• Encouraging our customers in our sector to opt for sustainable products and services we offer. E.g. recycled plastic based fabrics. This will all but eliminate Hospital’s Directs CO2e emissions.
• Promoting customer and employee travel options that minimise their environmental impact. Suppliers and employees (Public transport and car sharing schemes and online training and demonstrations)
• Encouraging employees to walk or cycle to work with safe bike storage
• Providing a safe and healthy workplace environment for our employees

Supporting Projects

• Investing in establishing certified carbon offset and biodiversity projects in the UK or internationally. This will reduce the carbon impact that we are not able to eliminate – especially Scope 3 emissions.
• Investing in biodiversity projects/environmental charities including our own tree planting programme. E.g. we have our own tree planting programme.
• Enabling our employees to become involved in volunteering projects, some of these to focus on biodiversity.

Progress against these targets can be seen in the graph below:

Carbon Reduction Projects

Completed Carbon Reduction Initiatives

The following environmental management measures and projects have been completed or implemented since the 2022/2023 baseline. The carbon emission reduction achieved by these schemes equate to 107.4 tCO2e, a 12%ge reduction (over 2 years unless the new sodium ion batteries become commercially available and the installation of renewable energy heat batteries is successfully tested and installed.
There will be a faster and very dramatic reduction if the NHS takes on products produced from recycled plastics) against the 2023 baseline and the measures will be in effect when performing the contract.

• ISO 14001:2015 Certified, which sets out the requirements for an environmental management system.
• Calculated total emissions using internationally recognised principles at 1716 tonnes of CO2 (includes scopes 1, 2 & 3).
• Offset our emissions from 2023 to 2118 by means of a tree planting programme that is scheduled to continue annually or as necessary to achieve net zero or better.
• Adopt packaging that is already 90% recycled/recyclable.
• Obtained qualifications in Hydrogen Energy and Renewable Energy Project Management.
• Obtained qualifications in solar photovoltaic, solar water heating and renewable energy storage.
• Installed sensor triggered LED Lighting and hot water systems
• Installed low water usage W/C facilities.
• Investing in energy efficient green technologies to reduce our energy consumption through solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines and green energy storage systems.
• Planted 4500 trees – equally balanced between Oak, Beech, Field Maple and Hornbeam.
• Using an electricity supplier that Zellar have confirmed is “deep green” with 100% of electricity procured and generated form the same renewable energy sources.
• Reviewing an anergy efficiency checklist monthly, this contains top actions that drive down our energy consumption.
• Appointing sustainability department leads who are responsible for the continual improvement of our sustainability performance.
• Maintaining technological advances to make existing systems more efficient – e.g. sodium iron battery advances and associated attachments to solar panels monitoring progress.
• Researching zero carbon heat battery powered by solar and/or VAWT.

In the future we hope to implement further measures such as:
Installation of solar panels, VAWT’s, Sodium iron energy storage systems and VAWT. We are also keen to add to our current tree planting/nurturing programme in the next few years.

Declaration and Sign Off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans.

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with SECR requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard.

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the board of directors (or equivalent management body).

Downloadable version of Hospital Direct’s Carbon Reduction Plan