Helping JUNE Medical build a more accurate Scope 3 footprint and meet NHS Net Zero reporting requirements

Overview

JUNE Medical supplies medical devices to the NHS and private healthcare providers across the UK, alongside distributing their own Queen's Award-winning Galaxy II Retractor internationally through a partner network. With full Scope 3 reporting becoming mandatory for NHS suppliers from April 2027, JUNE Medical didn't want to find themselves reacting to the deadline. They came to Seedling looking for a credible way to capture the complexity of their product supply chain, prepare for procurement requirements, and turn long-standing climate commitments into a structured, measurable programme.

About JUNE Medical

"JUNE Medical is a medical device distributor serving the NHS and private healthcare sector, supplying a range of products on behalf of leading manufacturers across the UK, as well as distributing our own Queen's Award–winning Galaxy II Retractor globally, through our partner network."

Climate action has been a core part of the business for years. JUNE Medical formally declared a climate emergency back in 2019, with specific commitments well ahead of much of their sector.

"The declaration publicly acknowledges that we, as suppliers to the NHS and private healthcare providers, recognise climate change is a threat to public health and that of our customers and their patients. As such, we seek to minimise our own impacts on the environment and those of our suppliers and contractors."

The Objective

JUNE Medical needed to move from a strong set of public commitments to a robust, reportable carbon programme that would meet evolving NHS procurement requirements.

"Measuring and reducing our carbon footprint is central to our ethos of acting responsibly and looking after the planet, not just for today but for the future. It ensures our environmental commitments are measurable and credible, aligning with our values while meeting the expectations of clients and procurement bodies. As a team working on government contracts, it is also a mandatory requirement and a key part of demonstrating compliance. At the same time, it helps us identify inefficiencies, reduce costs, and ensure we are prepared for evolving regulations and Net Zero targets."

The Challenge

For a product-based business distributing medical devices on behalf of multiple manufacturers, the hardest part of the picture is Scope 3, particularly the emissions embedded in the materials and supply chain behind each product. JUNE Medical wanted that part of the footprint to reflect reality, not a generic spend-based estimate.

The most pressing driver was the NHS Scope 3 reporting requirement coming into force in 2027. Rather than waiting until it became compulsory, JUNE Medical wanted to be reporting confidently long before that deadline.

"With the upcoming NHS requirement to measure and report full Scope 3 emissions from April 2027, we wanted to ensure we were in the strongest possible position ahead of it becoming mandatory. Given the complexity of capturing wider Scope 3 categories, we recognised the need for expert support to guide us through the process. This included advice on best practice reporting, practical examples, and ongoing support to help us navigate the changes and build a robust, compliant approach."

They needed a combination of accurate data capture, technical guidance, and a methodology they could maintain year-on-year.

Why JUNE Medical Chose Seedling

JUNE Medical needed a partner who could match the rigour of NHS-ready reporting with a practical, manageable approach for a busy commercial team.

"The platform's ease of use and the quality of its outputs, particularly for reporting and marketing, were very appealing. Equally important was the support from the approachable and knowledgeable Seedling team, who provided guidance throughout."

The fit was practical as well as technical: a platform that produces compliance-ready outputs without an enterprise-scale workload, paired with a dedicated expert who could help interpret complex supply-chain data and bring everything together in one place.

How Seedling Helped

1) Replaced spend-based estimates with activity-based Scope 3 data

For a product-based business distributing medical devices, spend-based emissions factors produce a footprint that essentially tracks spend, as opposed to exact emissions. Two suppliers with very different environmental profiles can look identical if you only measure what you spend with them. The Seedling team worked with JUNE Medical to move away from that approach for their most material categories, identifying the highest-impact product lines and capturing the materials data behind them. The result is a footprint that genuinely reflects how the business operates, and one that will respond to real changes in sourcing, materials and product design over time. It's the standard NHS procurement will increasingly look for, and a far more defensible basis for any future reduction claims.

2) Provided expert support to navigate full Scope 3 ahead of the NHS deadline

From April 2027, NHS suppliers will be expected to measure and report full Scope 3 emissions, a significant step up from the more limited Scope 3 reporting many businesses do today.

JUNE Medical was supported by a dedicated Seedling carbon expert, who worked through the wider Scope 3 categories with the team, advising on what was material to a medical device distributor, the most appropriate measurement approach, and what to prioritise now versus phase in over time.

That support ran from the first technical conversations through onboarding, data collection, methodology decisions and report sign-off. The methodology was built specifically to meet the 2027 requirement, rather than being retrofitted to it after the fact.

"The support throughout, from our initial enquiry, through onboarding and data collection, to the final publication of reports was of the highest standard. We consistently received prompt responses, whether by email or video call, and always felt that nothing was too much trouble."

3) Built a structured, prioritised decarbonisation plan

An accurate footprint is only useful if it leads to action. With JUNE Medical's hotspots clearly visible in the platform, the Seedling team helped the business translate that data into a working reduction plan: which interventions would have the biggest impact, which were practical to implement quickly, and where longer-term investments in sourcing or logistics would pay off. The plan brought together quick wins around energy and waste alongside more substantial initiatives across materials and supply chain. Three of those projects have already been completed, with more actively in progress, and the platform's modelling tool means future actions can be quantified before they're committed to.

4) Brought offsetting, reporting and transparency into one place

Beyond the footprint itself, the Seedling platform handles the operational side of carbon management that often gets pieced together across multiple tools and providers. Verified offsets are sourced and tracked directly through Seedling, with payments and registry retirements handled in the background. Reports for procurement, certification frameworks and stakeholder communications are auto-generated and independently assured, in the formats they're needed in. JUNE Medical's footprint, targets and live reduction projects are all published on their Seedling Impact Page, ready to share with customers, NHS procurement teams and the public.

The Impact

The shift in approach has produced both technical and operational gains. Moving from spend-based assumptions to activity data on materials gave JUNE Medical a significantly more accurate baseline, with almost 200 tonnes of CO2e adjusted compared to earlier estimates. The new figure is a more reliable starting point for measuring real progress over the years ahead.

"We can sleep at night! More seriously, it has been incredibly reassuring using Seedling's services to help us measure, report, and feel confident in the process. We are now able to provide full Scope 3 reporting, supporting our continued ability to serve NHS hospitals in line with evolving requirements. We also have a clear pipeline of carbon reduction projects that we are actively exploring and implementing. The ideas and guidance from the team have been highly valuable in shaping our approach."

Beyond the numbers, sharing progress externally has landed well with customers and the team.

"We have been able to share our impact page with customers and across our social media channels, where it has generated strong engagement from both customers and employees. We have also successfully completed three of our carbon reduction projects. While they were already on our 'To do' list, having them clearly defined and documented helped ensure they were followed through and delivered."

Looking Ahead

With a robust baseline, an active reduction pipeline, and full Scope 3 reporting in place, JUNE Medical's focus is now on extending the work into their wider supplier network and logistics operations: engaging key suppliers on their own emissions, optimising delivery patterns to reduce the number of journeys, and bringing electric vehicles into the distribution model.

JUNE Medical's Advice to Other Businesses

"Stop putting carbon reporting off, the Seedling team are fantastic and will guide you every step of the way."

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