Indicative self-check
NHS Evergreen Readiness Check
Free, about 5 minutes, and indicative only. Answer a few short questions about your Carbon Reduction Plan, emissions reporting and targets, and see your likely Evergreen Level 1 readiness, your top gaps and the next steps to take.
Plain English glossary
- Evergreen
- The NHS England online self-assessment that suppliers complete to share their sustainability position. It gives a maturity score from Level 1 to Level 4, valid for 12 months.
- Evergreen levels
- Level 1 is the entry level. Each higher level adds to the one below, so you reach Level 3 only if you also meet Levels 1 and 2.
- NHS Supply Chain
- The NHS organisation that buys goods and services for hospitals and trusts through national frameworks. Its frameworks require suppliers to hold Evergreen Level 1 when the tender closes.
- Framework
- An approved list of suppliers that buyers can order from without running a new tender each time.
- Dynamic market
- A supplier list that stays open, so new suppliers can apply to join at any time rather than only when a tender opens.
- Atamis
- The NHS online procurement system where suppliers register and complete the Evergreen assessment.
- Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP)
- A public document on the PPN 006 template that sets out your emissions, your net-zero target and your actions to reduce emissions.
- PPN 006
- The UK government procurement policy note that requires a Carbon Reduction Plan from suppliers bidding for large public contracts.
- Net zero
- Cutting emissions as far as possible and balancing any that remain, by a target year.
- Scope 1
- Direct emissions from fuel you burn and vehicles you own.
- Scope 2
- Emissions from the electricity, heat or cooling you buy.
- Scope 3
- All other indirect emissions in your value chain, such as purchased goods, travel, commuting, waste and transport. The GHG Protocol sets out 15 categories.
- GHG Protocol
- The standard international method for measuring greenhouse gas emissions.
- Global boundary
- Counting emissions from all your operations worldwide, not just the UK.
- Spend-based estimate
- An emissions estimate worked out from how much you spent, used when you do not have measured activity data.
- Validation
- An independent body, such as the Science Based Targets initiative, checks that your target is credible.
- Verification
- An independent third party checks that your reported emissions figures are accurate.
- Reporting entity
- The organisation your emissions figures cover, such as your company or group.
- Global parent
- A company, anywhere in the world, that owns your organisation.
- Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT)
- A UK government self-assessment tool for your own modern slavery risk.
- Transparency schemes
- Public reporting schemes such as CDP, EcoVadis and B Corp, where you share your sustainability performance.