New questions to assess environmental sustainability in procurement

WA Health is committed to building a more sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient healthcare system, and procurement plays an important role in achieving this goal.

Health Support Services (HSS) has recently introduced new guidance to help employees assess the environmental sustainability of suppliers. 

Developed with input from HSS Sustainability and Sustainability Managers across WA Health, the guide now includes a set of standardised environmental sustainability questions that can be used when evaluating potential suppliers.

These questions have been designed to support a standardised approach that can be applied across a wide range of procurement activities. They are intended to be easy for anyone to use, while also ensuring smaller suppliers are not disadvantaged. 

This assessment is important as WA Health works towards its target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2040.

Because emissions generated throughout the supply chain represent a significant proportion of WA Health’s scope 3 emissions, engaging with environmentally responsible suppliers is a key step in reducing our overall carbon footprint.