What does it actually take to reach net zero? That question was at the heart of the Gloucestershire Net Zero Conference, organised by The Growth Hub Gloucestershire and one answer kept coming up again and again: your supply chain.
The majority of a business’s emissions are typically found in what’s known as “Scope 3”, the indirect greenhouse gases produced across your suppliers and customers. In short: if you’re not looking at your supply chain, you’re not truly addressing your emissions.
Procurement Is Now a Carbon Issue
Andrew McKenzie brought a vital public sector perspective to the conference, sharing insights into the Procurement Act (2023) and the updated Public Procurement Note 006. This updated guidance enables public sector buyers to evaluate or outright demand Carbon Reduction Plans from suppliers when tendering for work. It places carbon reduction firmly at the heart of public sector procurement.
The Note includes a practical 5-page template that is SME-friendly and can be used to structure responses to bids. While not yet a mandatory requirement, it is rapidly growing in importance as a tool for differentiating between bidders.
Local Sourcing: Closer in Every Sense
One of the most practical and resonant recommendations from the conference was the power of local sourcing. Buying locally doesn’t just reduce transport miles and therefore emissions it brings you commercially closer to your suppliers, making it easier to have the kinds of meaningful conversations that make a real difference to your net zero journey.
When local sourcing happens, you can collaborate on carbon reduction, improve transparency in measurement, and hold each other accountable for outcomes. That’s the kind of supply chain relationship that actually makes the difference. This is precisely why Together Gloucestershire exists – to connect local buyers with local suppliers making it easier to build the kind of close, trusted, and sustainable supply chain relationships that benefit businesses and communities alike.
Embed Sustainability in Your Procurement Process
Nathanael Challacombe of Barnwood Limited offered one of the most actionable takeaways of the day. He included procurement as one of his three core recommendations for reaching net zero, emphasising that sustainability needs to be embedded into procurement processes for it to truly stick.
His practical suggestion? Add three simple sustainability questions to your tendering or quoting process [see image] This approach gives sustainability greater weighting in supplier selection without creating barriers for smaller businesses or SMEs, a really important balance to strike.
The three questions were designed to be straightforward enough for any supplier to answer, yet meaningful enough to signal a real commitment to carbon reduction. They’re a brilliant example of how you don’t need to overhaul your entire procurement process to start making progress, just start asking the right questions.
