The Lancet Commission on Sustainable Health Care measurement framework for advancing sustainable health care transformation

Sustainable health-care systems aim to provide universal access to appropriate care that optimises health and wellbeing while safeguarding the planet for future generations. To achieve this aim, health-care systems and organisations worldwide are working to improve the environmental sustainability and equity of their operations and infrastructure over the coming decades. Reliable guidance and standardised approaches are needed to monitor and report progress during this transition. Environmental sustainability covers multiple dimensions in which progress is necessary. Some concerns, such as the use of toxic materials in products and hazardous waste generation, have been prioritised for environmental management in health-care organisations for many years. In contrast, other issues, such as reducing greenhouse gases and environmental footprints, are new focus areas. There is increasing recognition that health care must minimise its negative environmental impacts while improving quality and access to care.