Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Targets and commitments are increasingly being put in place to limit the environmental burden of healthcare, and integrating environmental sustainability criteria into formal health technology assessment (HTA) frameworks is one approach being explored to support objectives. Many HTA bodies signalled interest or commitments towards formally assessing the environmental impact of technologies through HTA processes, with this being a greater priority in some markets than others. This research aimed to update previous analysis and explore recent progress made by HTA bodies within the last year towards routinely incorporating sustainability considerations in their assessment policies and frameworks.
METHODS: A targeted search of national HTA agencies was conducted in June 2026 to identify relevant policies, position statements, or guidelines that signalled plans or progress towards incorporating environmental impact or sustainability issues within HTA frameworks in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, the US, and Wales. Progress made since June 2025 by each agency was described and agencies were qualitatively grouped into categories (no progress, some progress, significant progress).
RESULTS: The majority of HTA bodies assessed (8/13) have made either some progress (2/13) or significant progress (6/13) towards formally considering the environmental value of healthcare technologies, for instance by continuing previously established initiatives, initiating new projects and pilots, or publishing draft assessment frameworks. The research did not identify any publicly documented progress by HTA bodies in Germany, Norway, Scotland, the US, or Wales within the last year.
CONCLUSIONS: Most HTA bodies included in this analysis are continuing on a positive trajectory and turning ambitions into action with regards to the formal appraisal of sustainability considerations of healthcare technologies. These findings suggest that many of the key global HTA bodies are taking targets and commitments seriously, signalling a promising and positive direction of travel in this important area.