Procurement can be a powerful force for positive change: building thriving communities, creating fair opportunities, and protecting the environment we all share.
Social value sits at the core of everything PfH Scotland does. It shapes our decisions, guides our partnerships, and connects our work to something larger than day-to-day transactions.
Everything we do at PfH Scotland connects to a single purpose: creating positive impact in people’s lives. Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach ensures this isn’t just an aspiration written on our website, but a measurable commitment that influences how we support members, work with suppliers, invest in our people, and protect the planet.
This approach makes our mission tangible. It’s not a new direction for us. It’s how we’ve always operated. We’ve simply become more deliberate about measuring it, more transparent about reporting it, and more ambitious about pushing ourselves further.
Our ESG work aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global blueprint for addressing poverty, inequality and climate crisis. Whether we’re helping Scottish housing organisations reduce fuel poverty through better energy procurement, creating employment opportunities through local supply chains, or supporting the delivery of warmer, more sustainable homes, our efforts connect directly to goals that matter for communities and the environment.
We focus on four priorities: people, communities, responsible business practice, and environmental stewardship. Together, these form the foundation of our social value strategy and our commitment to keeping procurement purposeful.
Our purpose is creating positive impact in people's lives. Across PfH Scotland, our teams and partners dedicate their time, skills and energy to projects that generate real difference in communities throughout the UK.
People are central to everything we do.
From community volunteering and fundraising initiatives to wellbeing programmes and inclusion efforts, we invest in the people who make PfH Scotland what it is and in the communities surrounding us. Our team consistently dedicates time to volunteer, raise money, and support local charities across the UK.
At our recent PfH Live event, we raised £23,115.53 for Cash for Kids, funding crucial local initiatives supporting children experiencing hardship. That money has created tangible impact:
Every meal, every session, every smile resulted from collective action, proving that when our sector works together, communities flourish.
Social value flows through every connection in our supply chain. We partner with suppliers who share our values: organisations that treat workers fairly, create local employment, and take genuine responsibility for their environmental footprint.
We’re proud of the diverse relationships we’ve cultivated with businesses of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), voluntary and community sector enterprises (VCSEs), and high and medium tech firms (HMTs). Our procurement solutions create genuine opportunities for smaller suppliers, enabling them to compete fairly and grow sustainably. These relationships drive economic growth, strengthen local communities, improve living standards, and encourage our suppliers to do the same.
By connecting our members with responsible partners, we ensure every contract’s impact extends well beyond the basic transaction.
Environmental protection is embedded in how we operate.
We support our members and suppliers to cut emissions, preserve resources, and make sustainable choices. From frameworks focused on decarbonisation and retrofit to straightforward office changes that reduce waste and conserve energy, we’re taking concrete steps toward a low-carbon future. This year we achieved a 3% reduction in carbon emissions per employee, and replaced 157 office lights, saving 23,036 kWh units annually.
Throughout our supply chain, we champion circular economy principles: recycling materials, reusing resources, and fundamentally rethinking how products and materials move through their lifecycle. Procurement might begin with a specification, but it can end with meaningful environmental progress.
Recently, nine of our colleagues joined charity City of Trees to restore green spaces. Together, they removed invasive Himalayan balsam, cleared ground for wildflowers, and created space for young ash trees to establish. It was a sunny, muddy day full of joy that reminded us how small actions accumulate to benefit nature, people, and the environment.
We hold ourselves to the same standards we expect from others: paying suppliers promptly (always within 30 days) and maintaining transparent, fair relationships throughout our supply chain.
Accountability runs through everything we do. Robust data policies protect information. Inclusive hiring practices ensure fair recruitment. Swift complaint handling addresses issues quickly. Respectful, responsive management supports our people. Transparency and fairness sit at the heart of our governance approach, ensuring every decision withstands scrutiny and serves the long-term interests of our members and communities. Equity, diversity and inclusion are embedded through refreshed recruitment practices and continuous training.
We’re proud of the culture we’ve built: open, diverse, and guided by integrity. For us, responsible business isn’t a policy document. It’s how we operate every day.
We're proud of our progress, but we're even more focused on what comes next.
In the coming years, we’ll continue expanding our social value reporting through Quantum, our data and insight platform. Members will gain the ability to track and evidence ESG impact directly from their procurement activity, transforming good intentions into measurable outcomes.
We’re also committed to deepening partnerships with suppliers who share our sustainability vision, investing in community initiatives that reflect our people’s passions, and working toward our goal of becoming a net-zero business.
Scotland’s Sustainable Procurement Duty has established social value as a statutory requirement for contracting authorities. At PfH Scotland, we remain committed to weaving it into everything we do, helping members use procurement as a genuine force for good in the communities they serve.
