Heidi Barnard, NHS Supply Chain at PSC LIVE: Sustainability
Staged at the QEII Centre in the heart of Westminster, London, Procurement & Supply Chain: Sustainability was focused on exploring the intersection of procurement, supply chain and sustainability.
Attendees enjoyed a wide variety of insightful keynote speeches, panel discussions and fireside chats, while grasping the opportunity to network with like-minded industry professionals representing some of the biggest companies in the world.
On Day 2, Supply Chain Digital sat down with Heidi Barnard, Head of Sustainability at NHS Supply Chain, who discussed the organisation's net-zero commitments and the growing influence of technology.
Making an impact
Having spent two decades in sustainability, Heidi has witnessed the increasing importance of supply chain management in driving environmental goals.
"I've been in sustainability for about 20 years and, for 15 of that, I was in the private sector," she explains. "I was first focused on environmental compliance as part of the role, but there was always a supply chain and procurement element to it."
Heidi's move to NHS Supply Chain was motivated by the potential impact she could have.
She says: "One of the reasons I moved into the role was because I could see the biggest impact that I could have personally was in the supply chain."
The link between supply chain and sustainability
The connection between supply chain operations and sustainability runs deep, according to Heidi.
Understanding this relationship is crucial for organisations looking to reduce their environmental impact.
Heidi adds: "When I think about all the products we supply and tackling sustainability across all of them – with every single one it isn't about what I do with it, but what happens to the product on its way to me.
This perspective necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the entire supply chain: "You've really got to understand your supply chain, what's happening in the different stages of it, to unpick what your impacts are and how to do something about it."
NHS net-zero ambitions
During her keynote at PSC LIVE: Sustainability, Heidi outlined the NHS' commitment to achieving net zero and the critical role that supply chain management plays in this journey.
"Sixty per cent of the NHS impact is within its Scope 3," she reveals. "Our organisation, as a big part of that, obviously has a huge role to enable the NHS to deliver its ambition."
During her session, Heidi went on to share the strategy NHS Supply Chain has developed to support this goal.
She continues: "I gave an overview of the strategy that we've developed, the work that we're doing with our procurements, the work that we're doing with our logistics partners to bring down that impact and the plan to get us to net zero by 2045."
Breaking down sustainability into manageable parts
NHS Supply Chain's sustainability strategy is designed to be approachable and actionable, preventing stakeholders from becoming consumed by the scale of the challenge.
"I think for me it's all about breaking it down into bite-sized chunks so people don't get overwhelmed," Heidi says.
The organisation has developed a straightforward framework for both suppliers and internal teams: "We have five asks of our suppliers, so that keeps it simple for them, the things that we want from them and what they need to deliver."
For internal operations, the strategy is equally clear: "When it comes to our internal work, again, we kind of break it down into three things. So I've got three key parts of our strategy, which is buy less, buy better, buy different."
The role of technology in sustainable supply chains
Emerging technologies are increasingly significant in achieving sustainability goals within supply chains, with data analytics and AI offering particular promise in this area.
"We talk a lot around data because data is an enabler to understand a lot of this [supply chain sustainability]," Heidi notes.
However, she cautions against getting caught up in technological hype: "It is also a case of, 'let's not get overwhelmed by some of this stuff'. There have been many new technologies and trends over the years and they're never quite as big as people expect."
Heidi concludes by emphasising that technology should drive meaningful action: "The big trend for me is also how we shift from a focus on reporting and data to 'what action is it driving?' Because the data is not the ends; it's the means to the ends."
Essential diary dates for 2025
Discover the essential diary dates for Procurement Magazine and Supply Chain Digital, as well as its sister publications, Manufacturing Digital and Sustainability Magazine.
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- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Dubai | 29 April
- Sustainability LIVE Chicago | 28-29 May
- Procurement LIVE Chicago | 28-29 May
- Supply Chain LIVE Chicago | 28-29 May
- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE London | 23-24 September
- The Global Procurement & Supply Chain Awards | 24 September
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