For the best viewing experience, use MCF Formulary on a computer or tablet.
The Medicine Carbon Footprint Formulary gives standardised per dose carbon
footprint ratings for thousands of medicines. Watch the Quick Start video to learn more.
Medicine Carbon Footprint (MCF) Formulary is a free educational tool created by YewMaker.
MCF Formulary enables users to explore the carbon footprint per dose for thousands of medicines, displaying carbon footprint ratings for the searched medicine and comparisons with other medicines within the same therapeutic indications, as classified by the British National Formulary.
MCF Formulary shows the MCF Rating for the most prescribed product in 2023 in the NHS, for each medicine, with ratings for alternative products accessible via a dropdown menu.
Please watch our Quick Start Video for a tutorial on using MCF Formulary.
MCF Formulary shows carbon footprint ratings (MCF Ratings) for 3,914 tablet and capsule medicine products. This is a representative snapshot of our larger MCF Product Dataset, which is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19136242.
In MCF Formulary, we list medicines using the names as they appear in the British National Formulary for consistency, but the MCF Ratings apply universally. For example, the MCF Ratings of paracetamol products are equally valid for acetaminophen.
MCF Ratings classify the per-dose carbon footprints of medicines into four categories, LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, and VERY HIGH, using a logarithmic (log10) scale, to provide a clear, simple, and systematic way to compare medicines. The categories and associated carbon footprints in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent (gCO₂e) are:
| Icon | MCF Rating | gCO₂e per dose |
|---|---|---|
| LOW | 0 ≤ x < 10 gCO₂e | |
| MEDIUM | 10 ≤ x < 100 gCO₂e | |
| HIGH | 100 ≤ x < 1000 gCO₂e | |
| VERY HIGH | x ≥ 1000 gCO₂e |
The medicine carbon footprint data were generated with MCF Classifier 3.0, developed by Taylor and Rahman to estimate cradle-to-gate carbon emissions of pharmaceutical products. MCF Classifier 3.0 builds on the methodology described in Taylor et al. 2024, extending carbon footprint estimations for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to include excipients and packaging, providing cradle-to-gate assessments that comply with GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard, ISO 14067:2018, PAS 2050:2011, and the carbon emission specifications of PAS 2090:2025.
API carbon emissions for chemically synthesised small molecules are estimated using a mass-based approach, incorporating empirical chemical characteristics and modelled synthetic accessibility of the API to estimate the Process Mass Intensity (PMI) and Global Warming Potential (GWP), as fully described in Taylor et al. 2024. For APIs manufactured partially or fully by fermentation, the typical yield of fermentation, type of organism used during fermentation and number of chemical synthesis and fermentation steps are incorporated into the modelled PMI and GWP predictions. Excipient and packaging footprints are estimated using a mass-based approach, informed by scientific literature review, data science, and domain expertise. These components are combined and scaled to produce a total carbon footprint per unit dose of the medicine product.
Yes. MCF Formulary is a small snapshot of our full dataset, in a free, user-friendly, online platform, to encourage awareness and ideation.
The MCF Product Dataset is our complete dataset and includes cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint ratings and gCO2e values for >30,000 small molecule medicines covering API manufacture and formulation, excipients, and primary packaging, and including tablets, capsules, oral liquids, vials, ampoules, infusion bags, pre-filled syringes, suppositories, lozenges, pessaries, pillules, and pastilles.
You can access the MCF Product Dataset at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19136242.
Yes. The MCF Product Dataset includes the CO2e values for the medicines shown in MCF Formulary and thousands of additional medicine products. It can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19136242.
Yes, you are welcome to use the MCF Formulary and MCF Ratings, in accordance with our Terms of Use, as long as our work and this site is appropriately attributed as follows:
Taylor, H. and Rahman N (YYYY). MCF Formulary https://formulary.yewmaker.com/ (accessed DD MM YYYY).
Please ensure you properly cite and attribute MCF Formulary, with a link to our site, as follows:
Taylor, H. and Rahman N (YYYY). MCF Formulary https://formulary.yewmaker.com/ (accessed DD MM YYYY).
The methodology underlying MCF Formulary is described in Taylor et al. 2024, which you may also wish to cite.
In March 2026, we released a new version of MCF Formulary with refined fermentation model and outlier detection. This led to the MCF Ratings of 178 products changing compared with MCF Formulary 2025.
Please email mcf@yewmaker.com.
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