Medicine Carbon Footprint (MCF) Dataset - Products

About this dataset

This dataset contains cradle-to-gate medicine product carbon footprint values, including the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), excipients and primary packaging.

The values were calculated using MCF Classifier, a published, peer-reviewed methodology for estimating the carbon emissions of small molecule medicines, created by Haroon Taylor and Nazneen Rahman at YewMaker.

This record includes the following files:

• Medicine Carbon Footprint (MCF) Dataset - Products 2026 v1.0.xlsx
• mcf_product_vmp_2026_v1.0.csv
• mcf_product_amp_2026_v1.0.csv
• MCF Product Dataset 2026 v1.0 - README.pdf
• MCF Product Dataset 2026 v1.0 - CSV Data Dictionary.pdf
• MCF Product Dataset 2026 v1.0 - Methods and Scope.pdf
   

For most users, the Excel workbook will be the best place to start. It includes:

• Reference Products: one row for each reference product (n=4,601).
• All Products: one row for each product in the UK Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d) release of 9 March 2026 for which MCF data are available (n=34,796).

Please note: The reference product carbon footprint values can be used for equivalent products from any manufacturer or country, because carbon footprint values are assigned at the level of the reference product, not the supplier-specific product. 

For system users, the CSV files will usually be more appropriate. 

• mcf_product_vmp_2026_v1.0.csv corresponds to the Reference Products sheet and is anchored to the dm+d VPID for the Virtual Medicinal Product.
• mcf_product_amp_2026_v1.0.csv corresponds to the All Products sheet and is anchored to the dm+d APID for the Actual Medicinal Product.

Update cycle

The MCF Product Dataset is updated annually. This Zenodo record defaults to the most recent version of the dataset. Earlier versions remain available.

Related dataset

For carbon footprint values for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) only, please see the MCF API Dataset.  

Licence and attribution

This dataset is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You are free to use and share the data, provided appropriate attribution is given as follows:

If you have used data from this specific dataset version, please cite as:
Taylor, H., & Rahman, N. (2026). Medicine Carbon Footprint (MCF) Dataset - Products [Data set]. YewMaker. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19136243

If you wish to refer to the MCF Product Dataset more generally, including all versions, please use the overarching concept DOI and cite as:
Taylor, H., & Rahman, N. (YYYY). Medicine Carbon Footprint (MCF) Dataset - Products [Data set]. YewMaker. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19136242 (accessed DD MM YYYY). 

Disclaimer

This dataset is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, including as to accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Users are responsible for determining whether the dataset is suitable for their intended use.

This dataset is not a clinical decision-making tool and has not been validated for clinical use. It does not constitute medical, legal or other professional advice. 

For full licence terms, see here.