Joe Tilley explains various funding frameworks introduced by CCS, which can help procure low-emission vehicles, greener energy solutions, energy-efficient cloud storage, and help remove single-use plastics from public sector supply chains.
The UK government set out their mission to make the UK carbon net zero by 2050. In April 2021, the government took this one step further, announcing the world’s most ambitious target to reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 compared to 1990.
Since 1990, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than 40 per cent. In line with commitments under the Paris Agreement, the UK is the first major economy to pass laws committing to net zero by 2050.
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A less carbon-intensive health service
The health service has a crucial leadership role in reducing its carbon footprint and achieving net zero emissions. Health professionals can be influential advocates for change; they see first-hand the impact of climate change, poor air quality, and pollutants on local communities.
The NHS has made considerable progress in becoming a more sustainable and less carbon-intensive system; however, there remains significant work to do to reach net zero.
The UK’s health services are developing other areas to help meet ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, including more detailed carbon reporting, reduction in single plastics use, and the decarbonisation of NHS-related transport.
Barriers to decarbonisation
Although the public sector prioritises net zero in response to the climate emergency, decarbonisation is a huge undertaking that requires us to move quickly to achieve our aims.
According to our research, capital investment and budget constraints are the biggest obstacles to implementing net zero strategies. Additional barriers include:
- Lack of inter-departmental and stakeholder coordination to maximise scale
- Access to affordable and readily available energy efficiency technologies
- Limited capacity and experience
- Insufficient information about their existing energy performance
Making procurement a force for good
Getting the best from your procurement spend allows you to maximise every pound, save time, and redirect precious resources where needed. Procurement can be a force for economic, social, and environmental good when used to increase your buying power.
As the UK’s largest public procurement organisation, Crown Commercial Service handled more than £27bn of public sector procurement in 2021-22. We are working to ensure our agreements and the products and services within them continue to support the government’s ambition to reach net zero by 2050.
At CCS, we are enabling our future agreements to decarbonise every pound of Public Sector Spend, whether capital or operating expenditure.
Innovative funding options
A green transition requires a significant investment in cleaner technologies. However, with budgets already stretched, meeting the high up-front costs of net zero projects, such as energy efficiency upgrades, green materials and solar PV panels, is an extra burden.
Under pressure to deliver carbon emission targets, public sector sustainability leaders and facilities management professionals must find reliable funding sources. But identifying reliable financial support for sustainability projects takes a lot of work.
Net zero grants and green asset financing
Grant information is often scattered across multiple sites and in various formats. Many organisations lack the time and resources to find and apply for net zero grants. Even after finding the funding, it isn’t easy to apply, often requiring stretched resources to divert time to complete the application.
The CCS CNZ grants and funding page simplifies the process. By bringing everything together in one place, grant seekers can quickly see what funding is available, which unlocks a considerable barrier for net zero aspirations.
CCS also offers green asset financing. Our twin-agreement solution consists of a framework for accessing specialist asset finance advisors and a funding platform through the Leasing and Loans Dynamic Purchasing System.
The solution provides direct access to lenders, offering a range of leasing arrangements and loans to decarbonise your estate. The two solutions can be used independently or jointly to achieve significant commercial benefit through tailored, competitive finance.
End-to-end decarbonisation solutions
CCS has many end-to-end solutions to help with decarbonisation initiatives across your procurement portfolio. We offer 36 commercial solutions (procurement frameworks) in areas that will be key to accelerating the transition to net zero.
These frameworks can help procure low-emission vehicles, greener energy solutions, including heat pumps and solar panels, construction using low-carbon materials, refurbishment and maintenance of buildings, energy-efficient cloud storage, and help remove single-use plastics from public sector supply chains.
Visit our CNZ website to discover how we can support your decarbonisation journey.
