Toward including environmental sustainability in Health Technology Assessment

Healthcare contributes nearly 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with significant environmental impacts across the lifecycle of health technologies (from production to disposal). Yet, these effects are rarely included in Health Technology Assessment (HTA), which traditionally focuses on clinical and economic value.
Holtorf et al., 2025, in their article “Toward Including Environmental Sustainability in Health Technology Assessment”  outlines the first international roadmap for embedding environmental sustainability within HTA frameworks.
Led by the Environmental Sustainability in HTA (ESHTA) Working Group under HTAi, the study brings together global experts to define the objectives, tools, and processes needed to align healthcare decision-making with planetary health.

Key message from the Article: 
1. The need for standardized methods and metrics for assessing environmental impacts in HTA.
2. Collaboration is needed across policymakers, HTA agencies, industry, and clinicians.
3. Potential for pilot HTAs and “living frameworks” that evolve with new data and evidence.
4. Importance of inclusive stakeholder collaboration to co-create practical, scalable solutions.
5.Environmental impact should be treated as a legitimate criterion in HTA decisions.

This work is powerful step toward redefining "Value" . A step that bridges Value -based Healthcare and Sustainability science.