Responsible procurement

At UCL, we define responsible procurement as a process that actively considers the environmental, ethical, economic, and social impacts of the goods, services, and suppliers involved, contributing to UCL’s strategic and sustainable development.

Responsible procurement is a key aim at UCL, delivered collaboratively by the Sustainable UCL and Commercial and Procurement Services teams. Guided by our founding principles, our vision and values, and our Sustainability Plan 2025-35, we want to make it easy for staff to make the right purchasing decision and ensure all suppliers are supporting our sustainability ambitions.

Guidance for UCL community

Be aware of the requirements for suppliers below. Before making a purchase, read our checklist for responsible buying.

Requirements for suppliers

In collaboration with Sustainable UCL, Commercial and Procurement Services have requirements for suppliers to ensure they are contributing to UCLs responsible consumption goals. Find out more below.

Ethical, economical and social impact

Please refer to UCL's Modern Day Slavery Statement.

Environmental impact

UCL’s Sustainability Plan sets ambitious environmental targets across our signature campaigns Positive Climate, The Loop and Wild UCL. Achieving these goals relies on collaboration with our suppliers.

The information below outlines both UCL’s sustainability commitments and the specific requirements and actions we expect from our suppliers to help deliver them.

Positive Climate

UCL’s new Sustainability Plan (2025-2035) includes commitments to positive climate action and responsible procurement, including the following carbon reduction targets:

• 52% absolute reduction in scope 3 emissions by 2030 
• Net Zero (90% absolute reduction) in scope 3 emissions by 2040 

To reach these targets UCL must:

• Collect activity data from suppliers to accurately measure UCL’s scope 3 reductions.
• Ensure suppliers have carbon reduction targets of a similar ambition. 

Timeline: UCL have an indicative timeline of supplier expectations in order to achieve this by 2030. This timeline only applies to suppliers over the £200,000 threshold but we encourage all suppliers to participate if they are able to.

For the 2025-2026 academic and financial year, UCL encourages all suppliers to submit corporate emissions data via our GHG Platform, Normative. We recognise that full GHG footprint data may not be available in all cases. We encourage suppliers to provide partial disclosures where possible or confirm if the information is not currently available.

• 2025-26 / 2026-27 - Suppliers are encouraged to submit GHG Footprint data via UCL’s chosen platform (Normative)
   
• 2027-28 / 2028-29 - Suppliers are required to submit GHG Footprint data via UCL’s chosen platform (Normative).
   
• 2029-30 / 2030-31 - Suppliers will be required to have 1.5 degree aligned targets.

If your organisation exceeds the £200,000 threshold, submission will become a requirement by 2027 therefore, UCL encourages you to begin developing your own GHG footprints and targets with the resources listed below.

Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Suppliers are encouraged to contact their UCL Category Manager if they have any concerns about meeting forthcoming requirements.

Resources

• Disclose your footprint: Normative
• Develop a footprint: GHG Protocol | DEFRA Factors | SME CLIMATE HUB
• Develop targets: SBTi | SBTi SME framework

For additional support, please contact your UCL Category Manager, who can support you in this journey with the help of Sustainable UCL. 

The Loop

UCL’s Sustainability Plan (2025-2035) includes commitments to responsible consumption, which includes the following target for suppliers:

• UCL Suppliers will be ISO1400 accredited for Environmental Management or hold an equivalent suitable environmental policy for SMEs. 

UCL holds an environmental management system ISO14001 certification and expects major suppliers to maintain similar certification. Having key suppliers certified demonstrates multiple important benefits. 

• The standard is externally audited, which gives UCL a level of assurance that the organisations we work with have a robust approach to managing their environmental impacts, have plans in place to prevent pollution, and manage their environmental compliance and risks. 
• Fundamentally, this helps prevent greenwashing by ensuring organisations provide credible and verifiable evidence of their environmental practices.
• Asking for and confirming ISO14001 certification reduces the need for additional checks by UCL. In some instances, key suppliers manage aspects related to UCL’s ISO14001 certification e.g., managing waste, catering and many of the hard and soft FM activities needed to keep the UCL Estate and operations running smoothly. Aligning supplier practices with UCL’s ISO14001 certification is therefore essential to maintaining our own environmental standards. 

Resources

• ISO 14001 - Environmental Management System (EMS)

Wild UCL

UCL’s Sustainability Plan (2025-2035) includes commitments to improve local and global biodiversity which includes the following sustainable procurement target for or suppliers:

• By 2027 we will measure and baseline UCL’s biodiversity footprint across our operational and supply chain impact
• Following the development of our global biodiversity impact baseline we will set a target for year-on-year reductions over the lifetime of the sustainability plan (2025-2035) 

As UCL is still in the process of baselining its biodiversity impacts there are currently no immediate actions for suppliers. Should this change, you will be notified and made aware of any requirements or targets.

If you are already working to reduce your biodiversity impact and want to share your findings with UCL, please contact your UCL Category Manager.