Sustainable Procurement and Net Zero Carbon
We are committed to ensuring NTU’s activities have minimal impact on the environment and comply with relevant legislation, including modern slavery. Our strategy and procurement policies reflect our commitment to reducing environmental impact on the planet.
Our procurement policies and supply chain activity reflect our commitment to reducing environmental impact, supporting social value, and working with suppliers to help achieve our Net Zero Carbon 2040 Roadmap.
The Sustainability team works closely with the Procurement team and stakeholders to ensure tenders include bespoke sustainability specifications and criteria.
As standard, NTU suppliers awarded a contract through a competitive tender process are required to sign up to the following tools to create plans and update them throughout the lifetime of the contract. We also encourage other key suppliers to use these tools as part of our wider approach to sustainable supply chains.
- NETpositive Futures Supplier Engagement Tool (widely adopted by universities and purchasing consortia to assess suppliers’ commitment to the environment, modern slavery and social value).
- Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool (used by 40+ universities to assess suppliers’ commitment to reducing emissions, and to calculate and report our supply chain carbon footprint).
Our ambition is to be Net Zero Carbon
NTU has boldly committed to achieving Net Zero Carbon across all three carbon scopes by 2040, and our NZC Roadmap sets out our plan to meet this target. 55% of our baseline carbon emissions derive from our supply chains, and we recognise we can only reach Net Zero by working with suppliers who are committed to helping us meet our target.
Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool
We are proud to have co-created the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool in partnership with NETpositive Futures to address the challenge of building more sustainable supply chains to progress to net zero.
The Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool provides a simple and efficient way to engage suppliers on sustainability, helping them understand their carbon footprint and develop free, bespoke carbon reduction plans. By sourcing carbon data directly from suppliers, the Tool enables universities to build a more robust supply chain carbon footprint, support scope 3 reporting in line with HE sector guidance, and identify practical opportunities to reduce emissions across supply chains.
The Tool is universal and free for suppliers. Suppliers can calculate or upload their carbon footprint, create a bespoke carbon action plan, and track progress against the actions needed to reduce emissions. Suppliers only require one account, through which they indicate which universities they supply, allowing sustainability and carbon data to be shared with all relevant participating institutions. Due to the shared nature of higher education supply chains, the Tool provides an easy and accessible way for suppliers to share their sustainability credentials across the sector.
Our progress with suppliers:
- 1,343 suppliers are signed up to the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool.
- 146 NTU suppliers are signed up to the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool.
- We’re proud to have enabled 571 suppliers to calculate their Scope 1 and 2 emissions and create a carbon action plan for free through the Tool.
- Figures correct as of September 2026.
Learn how our Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool can help suppliers create an effective carbon action plan.
Award recognitions
NTU won the Money for Good Award at the prestigious Green Gown Awards, held on 13 November.
NTU also won the gold award under the category of Sustainability Impact Initiative at the Association of University Directors of Estates Awards for our Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool.
Universities were able to hear from Charlotte Wood, Sustainability Manager, and Claire Davies, Sustainable Procurement Manager, during a AUDE Awards Lunchtime Learning: Nottingham Trent University's Award winning Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool.
Read what NETpositive Futures have said about the accolade.
How NTU has helped shape the future of sustainable procurement
Following a pilot with a selection of our own suppliers, and a six-month beta-testing phase with five other universities, NTU and NETpositive Futures embarked on a one-year Action Research Project (ARP) to evolve the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool for the higher education sector, collaborating with over 100 sustainability and procurement professionals from more than 30 universities.
- Read the six-month progress report.
- Read the action research project final report.
- Read our case study: Shaping the future of sustainable procurement for the higher education sector.
The tool is available for all UK universities (and some other public sector organisations). Interested institutions should contact NETpositive: admin@netpositivefutures.co.uk