MSI Reproductive Choices UK recognises the urgency of the climate and ecological crisis and acknowledges that all organisations, including healthcare providers, have a duty to accelerate our response.
In response, we are working with Gemserv, a B-Corp accredited low carbon healthcare consultancy to help us understand our current impacts and set carbon reduction targets.
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), of which MSI UK is a member, has launched a new industry-wide pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2035 and a net zero supply chain by 2045. So far over 40 organisations, including MSI UK, have signed up to the pledge, with many more expected to in the coming months.
As a sector which employs over 160,000 people and delivers care for millions of people every year, this commitment from independent healthcare providers builds on the NHS’ own target to achieve net zero by 2040.
MSI UK will identify the measures we can take in the short to medium term to meet those targets, as part of carbon reduction planning which is currently underway.
Why are we doing this?
As a provider of NHS Services, we are committed to achieving a route to net zero emissions in line with the NHS pledge to be the world’s first net zero national health service. They have set two targets:
- The NHS Carbon Footprint: For the emissions the NHS can directly control to reach net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032;
- NHS Carbon Footprint Plus: For the emissions the NHS can influence: to reach net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039.
Lord Patel of Bradford, Chair of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), said:
“Climate change is undoubtedly the biggest long-term threat to the health of our nation and indeed the world. It is therefore vital that healthcare providers not only treat the problems caused by pollution and climate change, but also play their part in tackling the root causes.
“As a sector which delivers care to millions of patients every year, I’m thrilled that independent providers are uniting to help tackle climate change and their commitment to achieve net zero by 2035 will make an important contribution in responding to this global emergency.”
Our Carbon Reduction Plan
From January to April 2023, we will be developing our Carbon Reduction Plan, which includes:
- Calculation and reporting of our scope 1 and 2, and a subset of scope 3 carbon emissions for 2019, our baseline year, as well as the intervening three years to the 2022 reporting year.
- Committing to a net zero target at least in line with the NHS net zero target year of 2045 and interim milestone reduction targets for both our scope 1 and 2 and scope 3 emissions
- Evaluation and selection of carbon reduction measures that we will commit to taking to reach our first reduction target milestone in 2025
- Internal capability will be built during these exercises through the training and involvement of a cross-section of the MSI UK team to embed these principles into the organisation’s business planning and operations.
Once this is approved by the board and published on our website, we will finalise the policies, governance, systems and action plans to implement our carbon reduction plan by the end of 2023. This will include awareness and training across our workforce as well as delivery of evidenced social value in the contracts we deliver.
Going forward into 2024 we will be building on this work to further develop and broaden our wider environmental, social and governance policies and assurance.
Nicola Moore, UK Director of Nursing Midwifery and Quality at MSI Reproductive Choices, said:
“MSI has achieved so much in the last few years in ensuring outstanding, safe, caring, accessible and responsive services. We are committed to ensuring that these services not only meet the needs of our clients today but do so in way that is sustainable for the planet to meet the needs of future generations. I am proud that MSI is supporting the NHS aim to become the world’s first net zero national health service.”
Steph Canavan, UK Director of Digital and Transformation at MSI Reproductive Choices, said:
“Last year, MSI UK reduced our commuter carbon footprint by introducing hybrid working for our contact centre team. We are committed to reducing our emissions through the use of digital and technology and meeting our target of achieving carbon net zero emissions by 2035 if not before.”
Follow this link to read more about Our Carbon Reduction Plan.
