Our amazing NHS has already committed itself to reaching net zero carbon in the coming years. As the largest employer in Britain, the NHS is responsible for around 4% of the nation’s carbon emissions, meaning it has to be a major contributor in achieving our climate goals.

In order to tackle climate change, the NHS aims to be the world’s first net zero national health service and have already set two solid target to achieve over the next few years:

  • For the emissions they control directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint), they will reach net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032;
  • For the emissions they can influence (the NHS Carbon Footprint Plus), they will reach net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039.

These targets are achievable for the NHS, but what comes next? How are the NHS working towards these goals for a more sustainable future, and how can other industries follow suit?

Early steps to a net zero NHS

The NHS are already making positive changes to the way they carry out their day to day processes. Here are just a few of their aims that will aid their net zero goals:

Hospitals

The NHS will be supporting the construction of 40 new ‘net zero hospitals’ as part of the government’s Health Infrastructure Plan with a new Net Zero Carbon Hospital Standard.

Care

The development of a new framework is in motion to evaluate carbon reduction associated with new models of care being considered and implemented as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Medicines and supply chain

They plan to work with suppliers to ensure that they all meet or exceed their net zero emissions commitment before the end of the decade.

Heating and lighting

The NHS plan on completing a £50 million LED lighting replacement programme across the entire NHS, improving patient comfort and saving over £3 billion over the next three decades.

Transport and travel

Plans are in motion for the world’s first zero-emission ambulance and aiming towards zero-emission vehicles by 2032 for their other vehicles.

It’s an exciting time for the NHS and we’ll be following their journey to net zero as it progresses! More information about how the NHS is tackling carbon emissions and becoming a net zero health service can be found here.

How can Quintex help the health care sector?

For years, we’ve done our part to help commercial kitchens in a variety of sectors to become energy efficient and more aware of their carbon footprint. We created three solutions to not only tackle energy saving and make kitchens more sustainable in their daily processes, but to help them save money and create safer, more efficient working environments.

Kitchens in the healthcare and medical sectors are busy environments, catering for the many individual requirements of patients and staff. To keep up with demand, kitchens will need to run at full capacity. Without the right procedures in place, your equipment may be running at a higher rate than is needed, wasting energy and money where it could otherwise be saved.

With the following solutions, we can help you well on your way to an efficient kitchen, helping you to follow in the footsteps of the NHS for a net zero future:

  • Cheetah, our demand controlled kitchen extraction system.
  • Ecofix, our safe, automatic and eco-friendly grease management system.
  • Biofix, our biologically friendly drain treatment.

Read our case study on how we helped the Mile End Hospital to save 9,794 kWh per annum and 13.3 tonnes carbon per annum.

Join the NHS in achieving your net zero carbon goals!

The NHS are well on their way to reaching their net zero carbon goals by 2050 – are you? If you’d like to find out about our energy saving solutions and how much you could save, feel free to get in touch with the Quintex team today on 0118 973 9310 or email us at sales@quintex.co.uk.