Environment - Vanguard Healthcare Solutions

Reducing our environmental impact

At Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, we recognise our responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of our operations and the healthcare facilities we provide.

Our approach focuses on reducing carbon emissions, making responsible use of materials and resources, improving the environmental performance of our operations and supply chain, and designing adaptable healthcare facilities that can support a more circular approach to healthcare infrastructure.

We are committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2045, with a stretch ambition of 2040. We measure our carbon footprint annually and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan, setting out our latest emissions, targets, progress and planned actions.

View our Carbon Reduction Plan.

Designed for a longer life

A key part of our approach is making better use of healthcare infrastructure throughout its lifecycle.

Vanguard facilities are designed for longevity. Our mobile facilities can be relocated, refurbished, upgraded and redeployed between healthcare providers, while modular buildings can be designed to allow future adaptation, reconfiguration or repurposing as healthcare requirements change.

This ability to extend the useful life of facilities and their components supports the principles of a circular economy, helping to reduce the requirement for new materials and make better use of existing assets.

We continue to invest in our facilities throughout their working lives, maintaining and upgrading them to meet changing clinical, technical and regulatory requirements.

Designing and building responsibly

Environmental considerations form part of how we design, manufacture and deliver our healthcare facilities.

På high pre-manufactured-value projects, more than 80% of a building can be manufactured off site. Factory-based manufacture can reduce activity within live hospital environments, while a controlled manufacturing environment helps us manage material use, minimise waste and reduce rework.

The environmental features of each facility depend on the project and its requirements. Options can include:

high-performance insulation and energy-efficient building services;
natural light and ventilation;
photovoltaic panels and other renewable technologies;
rainwater recovery;
energy monitoring and controls; and
lower-carbon materials and technologies where technically and commercially appropriate.

We continue to explore how design, technology and material choices can improve the environmental performance of our facilities throughout their lifecycle.

Reducing the impact of our operations

Alongside the facilities we provide, we are taking practical steps to reduce the environmental impact of our own activities.

Our priorities include increasing our use of renewable electricity, transitioning our company vehicle fleet towards lower-emission alternatives, reducing waste and increasing reuse and recycling.

We also support hybrid working and the use of virtual meetings where appropriate and encourage lower-impact travel choices, including car sharing and Cycle to Work.

Our focus is on reducing emissions wherever possible, prioritising the areas within our direct control while progressively addressing emissions across our wider value chain.

Working with our supply chain

A significant proportion of our carbon footprint is associated with our wider value chain, making collaboration with suppliers an important part of our environmental strategy.

We are working with key suppliers to improve emissions data, better understand the environmental impact of the goods and materials we purchase and identify opportunities to reduce carbon.

Environmental performance and sustainability increasingly form part of our procurement and supplier-management approach.

Measuring and improving our performance

We believe environmental commitments need to be supported by measurable action and transparent reporting.

Our environmental management system is certified to ISO 14001, providing a structured framework for managing environmental risks, objectives and continual improvement.

We also participate in the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment, where we have achieved Level 1 – publicly committed to net zero and engaged with sustainability. The assessment helps us understand our alignment with NHS sustainability priorities and identify opportunities for further progress.

Our environmental objectives and carbon performance are supported by senior management and the Board and reviewed through our environmental management and wider ESG governance arrangements.

Rather than simply stating our ambitions, we publish the information behind them so that our customers and stakeholders can understand our progress.

View our accrediations and certifications

Read our social impact report