Medicine Carbon Footprint (MCF) Dataset - Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

About this dataset

This dataset contains carbon footprint values for the manufacture and formulation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in medicines. 

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 - Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients 2026 v1.0.xlsx
• mcf_api_2026_v1.0.csv
• MCF API Dataset 2026 v1.0 - README.pdf
• MCF API Dataset 2026 v1.0 - CSV Data Dictionary.pdf
• MCF API Dataset 2026 v1.0 - Methods and Scope.pdf
   

For most users, the Excel workbook will be the best place to start. It includes carbon footprint values for 2,907 APIs in kgCO2e / kgAPI. For system users, the CSV file will usually be more appropriate. 

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

Update cycle

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

Related dataset

For cradle-to-gate medicine product carbon footprint values that include the API, excipients, and primary packaging please see the MCF Product 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 - Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients [Data set]. YewMaker. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20340728.

If you wish to refer to the MCF API 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 - Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients [Data set]. YewMaker. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20340727 (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.