Richardson Healthcare Case Study

30 January 2024

Introducing Richardson Healthcare in Elstree (UK), a medical equipment company paving the way to sustainability in the healthcare industry with PAS 2060.

*Note: This case study uses URL links from the NQA UK Sustainability Hub. If your business is based elsewhere in the world, please get in touch with NQA in your country to learn more about sustainability.

Richardson Healthcare: The medical equipment experts

Since 2001, Richardson Healthcare has developed and innovated exceptional products for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) hospital trusts and healthcare professionals.

The medical equipment company offers a range of bandages, IV securements, PPE, procedure packs, urology, wound care, tourniquets and suction catheter products.

2023 marked an important sustainability milestone for Richardson Healthcare: PAS 2060.

Meeting supply chain expectations

Richardson Healthcare works closely with the NHS, which has outlined net zero as one of their main focuses.

With this in mind, the medical equipment company decided to pursue PAS 2060 (Carbon Neutrality) verification to:

Support their submission for NHS tenders
Become greener in their day-to-day operations
Continue improving on environmental challenges
Provide the company with more credibility

As for choosing NQA, Richardson Healthcare states, “Following research into verification bodies and having online meetings to discuss the PAS 2060 process, we found that NQA offered the most support and guidance through the process, ensuring we fully understood the requirements.”

Once the company had decided on NQA and PAS 2060, the next stage was to prepare.

Working as a team to prepare for PAS 2060

At Richardson Healthcare, internal staff from different departments teamed up to prepare for the PAS 2060 verification assessment.

As a starting point, they enrolled on the NQA PAS 2060 Essentials E-Learning.

The team then collaborated to complete the sections for scope 3 emissions (i.e. indirect emissions not from assets owned or controlled by a company but within their value chain).

They also accounted for the office conditioning system and other aspects under scope 1 (i.e. indirect emissions produced by sources a company has bought and used).

One of the challenges was ensuring the correct conversions and working out the initial conversion factors. The Richardson Healthcare team overcame this by following the GHG Protocol and using the UK Government’s reporting conversion factors for 2022 and 2023.

Discover more about carbon planning and preparing for PAS 2060 with our essential blog.

Becoming PAS 2060-verified with NQA

The NQA lead verifier for Richardson Healthcare was Clare Braham.

“Clare was very understanding and always available when we had questions. The build-up to the assessment was very organised, and she made it clear what the process would be throughout the verification.”

Clare also offered guidance to support Richardson Healthcare’s PAS 2060 verification going forward.

“Now, when completing the verification for other reporting years, we have a full understanding of the scopes and primary and secondary data to use. It has made us feel more confident when preparing our verification process for reporting year 2023.”

Remember: PAS 2060 isn’t a one-off verification but a continual journey to net zero.

Driving the healthcare sector forward

Becoming verified against PAS 2060 has bolstered Richardson Healthcare as a company and the wider healthcare sector.

Internal benefits of PAS 2060 verification

“We have improved internally, as it has motivated staff to continue to review independent processes that can help reduce our carbon footprint. We are also looking into volunteering for more projects that help the environment.”

External benefits of PAS 2060 verification

“When submitting for tenders, one of the most popular questions is how your company is working towards reducing carbon emissions. As we have already become verified for reporting year 2022 and are preparing for 2023, wholesalers and healthcare professionals can see we are working towards targets to become more environmentally friendly.”

New motivation, opportunities and added credibility are just some benefits of PAS 2060.

A sustainable future for Richardson Healthcare

Since their successful PAS 2060 verification, Richardson Healthcare has:

Appointed a Sustainability Lead to manage their decarbonisation efforts
Looked into optimising designs to reduce disposable waste from packaging
Continued reducing emissions via customer, supplier and logistical partnerships

Richardson Healthcare has also signed up for Trees for Streets, a national sponsorship scheme planting trees in communities to tackle climate change.

The result of PAS 2060? A guided path towards greener communities and a healthier planet.

Final thoughts from NQA

NQA congratulates Richardson Healthcare for achieving PAS 2060 (Carbon Neutrality) to kickstart their sustainability journey.

Their success demonstrates the many benefits of adhering to standards – and not just for the company but the healthcare industry as a whole.

Learn about sustainability standards like PAS 2060. Visit the NQA UK Sustainability Hub.

Ready to take the next step in your environmental journey? Speak to an expert today.

Download a PDF version of Richardson Healthcare's case study here.