Sustainable Supply Chain Pathway for Education and Research Institutions

A collaborative route to a sustainable supply chain. Formerly known as the Edinburgh Pathway.

The Sustainable Supply Chain Pathway for Education and Research Institutions (The Pathway) is a structured approach that helps both suppliers and buyers build a collaborative, fair, sustainable supply chain.  

For buying organisations, including the University of Edinburgh, this means making sustainable decisions when purchasing. To do this, the Pathway ensures that buyers have the required knowledge, skills and data on carbon emissions and wider responsible procurement themes.   

For suppliers, the Pathway aims to supports the transition to net zero, setting out time-bound actions that follow a science-aligned decarbonisation pathway.  

Recognising that not all suppliers will be able to follow a science-aligned pathway in the specified timeframe, the Pathway is intended as one lever of several to support the University's carbon emission reduction targets. Other actions the University and other buyers can take to reduce supply chain emissions include:

  • reducing overall purchasing via demand management and embedding circular economy principles
  • switching to more sustainable suppliers and products where purchases remain necessary and suppliers are unable to meet science-aligned pathways

A collaborative approach

The Pathway objectives

The Pathway is an opportunity for buying organisations across the Further and Higher Education sector, as well as wider public bodies, to align their approach to responsible procurement. By taking a collaborative approach, we will:

  • reduce the resource implications for buying organisations and for suppliers by standardising supply chain requirements, and setting out timescales for action
  • promote best practice by increasing knowledge sharing and use of shared tools or resources
  • support local and national climate targets in alignment with a 1.5 degree global warming scenario

We launched the Pathway at the University in November 2025 and are now working with partner organisations to bring them onboard. 

Further information for staff is available on the Procurement Hub.


The Pathway seeks to increase collaboration with other buying organisations as well as with our suppliers.

We will collaborate with other buying organisations to:

  • share resources, tools and knowledge
  • agree on a common ask of our supply chain
  • select a dedicated platform for suppliers to share documents, data and reports
  • equip our buying communities to request more sustainable products
  • highlight organisations that are aligned to the Pathway to our suppliers and wider networks

We will collaborate with suppliers to:

  • develop a resource hub, providing access to dedicated resources to help suppliers align with the Pathway. This includes:
    • sharing supplier — or sector-specific — best practice methodologies
    • providing appropriate reporting templates and schedules
    • signposting to dedicated training and support for suppliers
  • highlight research opportunities with our academic community, to accelerate progress towards achieving specific Pathway steps, such as:
    • establishing the most suitable methodology for calculating carbon impact for a sector;
    • determining which actions will have the greatest impact for a specific supplier or supply chain;
    • market research to examine barriers and opportunities for new innovation among the buying community;
    • exploring suppliers' readiness to examine wider sustainability impacts (e.g. biodiversity or water use)
    • utilising redundant products to create new products
  • create an open dialogue, discussing sustainability within Contract Management meetings, highlighting good practice, working together to overcome challenges and ensuring that resources remain relevant and effective
  • celebrate success, highlighting suppliers that are aligned to the Pathway to our buying community and wider networks

Why we developed the Pathway

The University's supply chains account for a significant proportion of its carbon emissions. Due the size and diversity of our supply chains, we have the opportunity to make significant emissions reductions through our procurement practices and engagement with suppliers. The Pathway provides buyers suppliers with clear steps they must take to meaningfully reduce their climate impact. 

Our aim is to empower other public institutions, in particular those from across the Further and Higher Education Sector, to adopt the Pathway, creating consistency for suppliers and driving down the impact of our collective supply chain. 

How the Pathway was developed

The Pathway has built on the supply chain roadmap developed by NHS England in 2022.

Actions set out in the Pathway are similar to the NHS England roadmap, but include interim steps to support suppliers reach their targets and set out a timescale for science-aligned decarbonisation.

Since early 2024, we have undertaken an iterative process to build the Pathway, incorporating feedback from buyers, procurement colleagues, suppliers, as well as other responsible procurement experts within the sector and externally. 

The Sustainable Supply Chain Pathway for Education and Research Institutions

Graphic representation of the four strands of the Sustainable Supply Chain Pathway
Specific steps for buying organisations and suppliers set out in the four strands of the Pathway. A PDF version is available below.

 

The Pathway is made up of four strands, each setting out timebound actions. Technical guidance to support buying organisations and suppliers is available on request.

For institutions and buying organisations

Teal circle with white icon of institution in the middle

By 2028, our buying community will have the knowledge, skills and tools to recognise key responsible procurement themes. Our processes will ensure that sustainability is considered alongside cost and quality when making a decision to purchase.

For suppliers

Orange circle with white megaphone icon in centre

By 2028, our highest-impact suppliers will have set science-aligned targets, underpinned by SMART action plans. We will see an increase in innovative products that support our ambitions to achieve net zero.

Purple circle with white graph icon in centre

By 2028, the quality of data available from suppliers will have matured from a broad spend-based methodology to product-level environmental detail. This will enable our buying community to make informed decisions on the products they require. 

Yellow circle with white tick box icon in centre

By 2028, we will be in position to track our suppliers commitments, highlighting good practice and notifying when action is needed to realign. We will use these to monitor the impact of our actions on scope 3 emissions.

How to get involved

Between July and October 2025, we engaged  directly with the University Buying Community before formally launching the pathway in November 2025. 

Further information for University staff is available on the Procurement Hub (SharePoint).


We are taking a tiered approach to onboarding our supplier onto the Pathway. Starting with those we consider have the greatest impact on environmental sustainability and social impact.  

The Pathway will be included in appropriate new contracts from December 2025. At the same time, we will be approaching existing suppliers to encourage to adopt the pathway, and raising awareness that the Pathway will be included in future contracts. Suppliers will be invited to supplier-specific launch webinar where we will share further information on the pathway and answer questions on what this means for suppliers. 

If you are a supplier and are interested in signing up to the Sustainable Supply Chain Pathway for Education and Research Institutions, or to keep informed regarding these supplier specific events, please contact the University's Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability.


Following our successful launch at the University of Edinburgh, we are extending an invitation for other Further and Higher Education (FHE) Institutions and public bodies to adopt The Pathway as a way of addressing sustainability within our collective supply chains.

If you are a representing an FHE institution, or another public body interested in adopting the Pathway, please contact the University's Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability.


Further Information

The following document provides background information on the Pathway, as well as details of the four key strands. Further implementation guidance will be provided to suppliers or other buying organisations that adopt the Pathway. 

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