Accelerating NHS net zero goals through medicine carbon footprinting

The climate crisis is resulting in acute and chronic health challenges, which are putting pressure on global health systems. In turn, the healthcare sector is estimated to account for 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This places a unique responsibility on the sector to both manage these impacts and reduce its contribution to climate change.

More than 20 countries have committed to delivering net zero health systems. In the UK, the Health and Care Act 2022 embedded the commitment for the NHS to become net zero by 2045 into legislation, making it the first health system worldwide to do so.

Progress on sustainable medicines

Medicines make a sizeable contribution to the NHS’ carbon footprint (an estimated 25 per cent), so a comprehensive strategy to reduce medicines-related emissions is necessary for the NHS to reach its net zero goals.

The NHS is already making headway. Green plan guidance now recommends that systems and trusts use lower carbon inhalers and anaesthetics, which has already seen successful uptake.

However, of the 25 per cent attributed to medicines, inhalers and anaesthetics only account for 5 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent comes from the manufacture and supply of the billions of medicines prescribed across the NHS every year.

Progress on reducing these emissions has been hindered by a lack of accessible product-level emissions data. Manufacturer data is rarely made available and is not standardised, making it difficult to use as a baseline for carbon reduction strategies.

MCF Classifier – Medicine emissions data at scale

YewMaker creates science-based solutions to help make healthcare more sustainable. Chief Executive Officer, Nazneen Rahman and Chief Technology Officer, Haroon Taylor saw an opportunity to harness industry standards in green chemistry, using AI and data science to develop a standardised methodology for calculating the carbon footprint of individual medicines. The resulting technology suite, MCF Classifier (MCF = Medicine Carbon Footprint), provides data and tools that enable the manufacture, supply, emissions, procurement, and prescription of medicines to be carbon-informed.

“We developed MCF Classifier to make medicine emissions visible, consistent, and usable,” says Nazneen. “Without that foundation, it’s difficult for anyone – whether in procurement, policy or practice – to take meaningful action.”

The methodology behind MCF Classifier has been peer-reviewed and published, bringing transparency and credibility to an area where data has been limited and inconsistent. Research using MCF Classifier has shown wide variation in medicine carbon footprints across all therapeutic areas, highlighting significant opportunities for carbon-informed decisions in procurement, supply chain planning, and prescribing.

YewMaker is now building MCF Classifier tools and products to drive awareness and action. MCF Formulary, supported by NHS funding, provides standardised per-dose carbon ratings for thousands of medicines through a free, user-friendly web portal. It allows healthcare practitioners to explore the relative carbon impact of medicines and integrate sustainability into medicine optimisation strategies.

For manufacturers and suppliers, YewMaker uses MCF Classifier to deliver a range of data products and services, including product carbon footprint reports, large-scale emissions analyses, portfolio-wide carbon assessments, and therapy emission comparisons. These support organisations to understand and mitigate the carbon impact of their medicines and to meet reporting requirements.

Advancing NHS net zero goals

The NHS has committed to reach net zero by 2045 for emissions influenced through the procurement of goods and services, including medicines. To help suppliers align with this goal, the NHS has developed a roadmap outlining key milestones. By 2027, all suppliers are required to publish a Carbon Reduction Plan, and by 2028, they must provide carbon footprint data for individual products.

Reducing supply chain carbon emissions will be essential. However, delivering on these targets will require practical and proportionate approaches. Nazneen highlights the importance of ensuring that new expectations, such as product-level carbon reporting, are introduced in ways that support, rather than disrupt, medicines supply. Tools like MCF Classifier can help by providing suppliers with accessible, consistent data that supports engagement without creating unnecessary complexity or burden.

Nazneen emphasises that carbon data should not be seen as a compliance exercise, but as a resource to support informed, balanced decisions. As understanding of product-level emissions improves, suppliers will be better placed to identify areas for reduction while maintaining stability and quality across the supply chain.

Improving the sustainability of the medicines supply chain will require coordinated efforts among multiple stakeholders. Collaboration at the organisational, sectoral, national and global levels will be essential in creating a supply chain that is not only resilient and cost-effective but also environmentally responsible.

By embedding carbon considerations into decision-making, the NHS can continue to lead in aligning clinical excellence with environmental sustainability and take meaningful steps towards delivering a net zero health system.

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Further information

Dr Nazneen Rahman is CEO and Founder at YewMaker, a purpose-driven business building science-based sustainable healthcare solutions, and the Executive Director of the Sustainable Medicines Partnership action collaborative.

If you are interested in this topic or PPP’s pharmacy and medicines work more broadly, please contact Samantha Semmeling, Policy and Programmes Manager, Public Policy Projects (samantha.semmeling@publicpolicyprojects.com).