Assessing a Clinical Trial
The Clinical Trials: Environmental Assessment Method document outlines the method for estimating the environmental footprint of a clinical trial. It can be applied to clinical trials that have been completed, that are partially complete, or that are in the design and planning stage, in alignment with the International Standard for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) (ISO14044) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard.
The methodology document forms part of the framework of guidance and tools which the Coalition and our partner organisations have created to drive decarbonisation efforts.
See the framework resources here:
Clinical Trials: Calculation Logic
Clinical Trials: Methodology Document
Clinical Trial Footprinting: Guidance Document
Clinical Trial Calculator: Calculator
The Five Steps
Make a start
1. Start identifying the clinical trial to be appraised
2. Begin gathering data
Refer to the user start guide to help identify the data that needs to be gathered, before starting to enter this information into the calculator.
How to appraise the chosen clinical trial
3. Calculate the carbon footprint of your clinical trial using the calculator
- To obtain a detailed appraisal, use primary data to receive more accurate results.
- To obtain a high-level appraisal, utilise secondary data provided by the calculator.
- To obtain a reasonably detailed appraisal, perhaps where you do not have data for every element, complete the calculator using a combination of primary data with secondary data where necessary.
To find out more information on the carbon calculator visit the next section.
How to interpret the findings and take action
4. Identify the carbon hotspots
Using the calculator’s report, identify the carbon hotspots within your clinical trial.
Particularly if your trial is in the design phase or currently running, consider utilising the export function of the calculator to save a version of your trial. Then return to the calculator to modify elements within your trial to gauge the effect that those changes would have on the overall footprint.
If your trial has completed, identify changes you could have made retrospectively, or potential changes you could make to the design of another trial to reduce the carbon intensity of the trial.
5. Explore options to mitigate the identified carbon hotspots
Start with the general principles of remove, reduce, re-use and recycle. The knowledge hub offers resources and case studies to guide you, alongside the opportunity to collaborate with other people working in clinical trials.
Visit the next section to learn how to further interpret the results.