OBJECTIVES: The healthcare system in England aims to be carbon neutral by 2045. By 2028, suppliers of medicines and health technologies will need to report carbon footprint data for their products. Company-level environmental impact data (EID) are already being reported. This may provide opportunities for health technology assessment (HTA) organisations like NICE to contribute to sustainability efforts. We sought to understand the feasibility and acceptability of different ways that NICE might use EID, and identify any that should be considered further.

METHODS: We conducted an options appraisal to examine different ways NICE might use EID. We held workshops with NICE teams that would be affected by using EID, considering options that ranged from relatively simple activities like republishing EID, to complex activities like incorporating EID into decision-making and value frameworks. New options suggested by participants were also examined. Options that were not considered feasible were discarded following discussion. We then engaged with key external stakeholders (NHS England, industry, commissioners) to discuss and further refine the potential options.

RESULTS: Better data and methodological standards are needed before NICE can consider embedding product-level EID in routine value decisions. Nevertheless, some options were identified for further consideration. In particular:

(1) NICE could republish company-level EID (e.g., carbon reduction plans) alongside its guidance. This would raise awareness of system sustainability efforts among NICE’s stakeholders and signal the growing importance of EID to NICE.

(2) NICE could conduct exploratory scoping work for an evaluation comparing the environmental impacts of interchangeable medicines or health technologies, where the choice between competing products has no expected impact on direct health or cost outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: We identified ways for NICE to start engaging with EID to support system sustainability efforts. NICE plans to pursue the options highlighted above in 2024/25. Opportunities for the HTA community may increase as EID methods and standards improve.