FOI 2025/1439

We are requesting information about how you report the carbon footprint of your medicines to assist us in developing solutions to support the NHS Net Zero strategy. This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The questions below relate to medicines carbon footprint reporting for NHS Greater Manchester ICB in 2024.
Question 1: Do you calculate the carbon footprint of medicines?
Answer 1: Yes/No

Question 2: What was the carbon footprint of medicines for 2024?
Answer 2: ___________ tonnes CO2e (or other units – please specify)

Question 3: How did you calculate the carbon footprint of medicines in 2024?
Answer 3: Please select one of the following
1. Top-down – we use a factor which converts spend to carbon footprint.
2. Top-down + bottom-up – we use a spend-based factor for most medicines and specific (bottom-up) carbon footprint calculations for others (e.g. inhalers and/or anaesthetics. Please specify for which medicines you use bottom-up calculations.
3. Other – Please specify.

Question 4: For top-down calculations what factor did you use?
Answer 4: ___________ kilograms or tonnes CO2e per £ spent (or other units – please specify)

Question 5: Do you update the factor used?
Answer 5: Select one of the following
1. The factor is updated yearly
2. The same factor is used every year
3. The factor is updated less frequently than yearly

Question 6: Why did you use this factor?
Answer 6: Please provide as much detail as possible including when and who supplied this factor.

1. Yes – the carbon footprint for inhalers, anaesthetic gases, nitrous oxide and mixed nitrous oxide/oxygen is calculated. The carbon footprint for other medicines is calculated at a national level using this methodology: Five years of a Greener NHS: an improved carbon footprint assessment of the National Health Service in England by Robin M. Simpson, Vimaladipa Imogen Tennison, Erik Episkopou, Yashaswi Bagga, Hiten Patel, Martin Caunt, Matthew Eckelman :: SSRN
2. The carbon footprint for the calendar year 2024 for inhalers (GM figures), anaesthetic gases, nitrous oxide and mixed nitrous oxide/oxygen was 60,842 tonnes CO2e.
3. 3. Bottom-up
4. N/A
5. N/A – top down medicine carbon footprint calculations are not calculated at NHS GM level.
6. N/A – top down medicine carbon footprint calculations are not calculated at NHS GM level.