The Pistoia Alliance, a global nonprofit dedicated to spurring collaborative efforts in clinical research, has launched a new initiative aimed at assessing the carbon footprints of site-based and decentralized trials (DCT).

Named the Clinical Trials Environmental Impact Community of Interest and kicked off by group member Syneos Health, the initiative will measure and compare the environmental impact of both traditional site-based trials and DCT models.

“In the future, it can be expected there will be legislation that will necessitate pharma and research companies to adjust their behaviors and develop new ways to measure and report on the environmental impact of their operations,” the nonprofit said. “To prepare for this change, the Alliance believes that companies working together on assessing the impact of trials is a key starting point.”

In the first phase of the initiative, alliance members are discussing the environmental parameters and variables to be measured. The second phase of the initiative will see development of a methodological tool to help sites and sponsors gauge the impact of their trials themselves. The alliance has not announced a timeframe for the effort.