--- title: Pharmaceuticals description: Pharma datasets covering core building blocks, operational and process elements, circular solvent management, life cycle and waste management, and regionalized pharmaceutical supply chains.  --- [Skip to content](https://support.ecoinvent.org/pharma#main-content) [![brandmark-support-black](https://support.ecoinvent.org/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base/Template/brandmark-support-black.svg)](https://support.ecoinvent.org/) - [Contact Us](https://ecoinvent.org/contact-us/) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact Us](https://ecoinvent.org/contact-us/) - [Database Login](https://ecoquery.ecoinvent.org/) [Database Login](https://ecoquery.ecoinvent.org/) Search the Knowledge Base - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Knowledge Base](https://support.ecoinvent.org/) 2. [Sectors](https://support.ecoinvent.org/sectors) # Pharmaceuticals ## These datasets cover core building blocks, operational and process elements, circular solvent management, life cycle and waste management, and regionalized pharmaceutical supply chains. November 4th, 2026 📄Discover the full potential of the v3.13 data release. The pharmaceutical sector is an essential component of healthcare, providing medicines that improve quality of life, prevent disease, and treat a wide range of acute and chronic conditions. Although the pharmaceutical sector represents a relatively small share of the global economy, it is environmentally significant because of its complex and resource-intensive manufacturing processes. The [OECD](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/decarbonising-health-systems-across-oecd-countries_5ac2b24b-en/full-report/transforming-healthcare-delivery-to-reduce-emissions-in-the-health-system_43078325.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com) indicates that pharmaceuticals and medical goods account for approximately one-quarter of healthcare-related greenhouse gas emissions, while healthcare itself contributes around 4.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions across OECD countries. Manufacturing processes are often resource-intensive, requiring substantial amounts of energy, water, and chemical inputs, while generating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, hazardous waste, and wastewater containing biologically active compounds.   The pharmaceutical industry is currently undergoing a fundamental shift toward environmental transparency and data-driven sustainability. As the sector moves toward more rigorous reporting, there is an urgent need for a harmonized methodology that ensures environmental footprints are quantified with scientific precision and global consistency. Central to this evolution is the implementation of the first Product Category Rule (PCR) for pharmaceutical products, [PAS2090](https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/9025-12045?). This calls for standardized, high-fidelity environmental data in the sector.   ### **Sector Overview** The pharmaceutical sector is being developed through a strategic collaboration with thirteen companies from the [Pharma LCA Consortium](https://peghub.org/lca) and the [Boehringer Ingelheim company](https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/ch). This partnership aims to address the growing demand for science-based, harmonized, and compliant background data in response to evolving standards, sustainability reporting requirements, and regulatory frameworks. This project marks the first time ecoinvent has developed a collection of datasets specifically tailored to a single industrial sector in direct partnership with its key stakeholders. This collaborative approach ensures that the datasets are not only technically robust but also closely aligned with the practical needs and key data gaps of the pharmaceutical industry. The collaboration resulted in the development of 183 regionalized datasets, covering 61 essential components and processes. The datasets are available for Europe (RER), North America (RNA), and Asia (RAS), ensuring compliance with the PAS 2090 Product Category Rule (PCR).   ### **Sector Highlights** The datasets included in the pharma sector are organized into several key functional areas: #### **Core Building Blocks**  Comprehensive coverage of the essential materials used throughout pharmaceutical manufacturing, including amino acids and peptide nutrients, carbohydrates, vitamins, inorganic salts, growth media components, and specialized chemical precursors. The sector also includes a broad portfolio of excipients and formulation ingredients such as cellulose derivatives, lactose, mannitol, sorbitol, gelatin, polymers, and binders that are critical for drug formulation and delivery. #### **Operational & Process Elements** Datasets covering the specialized materials and process chemicals required for pharmaceutical production, including pharmaceutical-grade solvents (e.g., 2-pyrrolidone, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, etc.), antioxidants (e.g., butylated hydroxyanisole - BHA), surfactants (e.g., poloxamer, polysorbate, sorbitan monooleate, etc.), stabilizers (e.g. povidone, ethyl cellulose, etc.) buffering agents (e.g., trometamol, histidine, etc.), plasticizers (e.g., polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, etc.) and processing aids. Dedicated datasets for purified water and water for injection support the modeling of high-purity manufacturing processes used across both active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production and finished dosage forms. #### **Circular Solvent Management** Extensive modeling of solvent recovery and recycling systems is available in the sector data. Coverage includes commonly used pharmaceutical solvents such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran, tetrachloroethylene, triethylamine, and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, enabling more accurate assessment of circular solvent management strategies and reduced environmental impacts. #### **Lifecycle & Waste Management** Datasets supporting end-of-life are available, including pharmaceutical-specific waste streams and materials destined for treatment. These datasets enable comprehensive [life cycle assessments](https://ecoinvent.org/life-cycle-assessment/) and improve the representation of pharmaceutical production impacts. #### **Regionalized Pharmaceutical Supply Chains** The ecoinvent sector data spans the regions of Europe, North America, and Asia. This regional coverage enables geographically representative environmental assessments for pharmaceuticals and improves the robustness of product [carbon footprint studies](https://ecoinvent.org/use-cases/determining-carbon-footprint/).   #### **Stakeholders** The development of this data is driven by ecoinvent's technical leadership, working in close coordination with the pharmaceutical industry to ensure scientific rigor and practical relevance. This initiative is powered by a deep, collaborative partnership with the [Pharma LCA Consortium](https://peghub.org/lca), composed of thirteen leading pharmaceutical companies, and [Boehringer Ingelheim](https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/ch). These industry experts have played a vital role in the development process, working alongside ecoinvent to identify critical data gaps and prioritize the most essential components and processes. This direct engagement ensures that the resulting datasets are not only technically robust but also perfectly aligned with the real-world requirements and evolving needs of the sector.   ### **Editors** - **Sebastian Taillemite** (Main Editor), Ecovamed   ### **Relevant Sources** British Standards Institution. (2026). **[PAS 2090 Pharmaceutical products – Product category rules for environmental lifecycle assessments](https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/9025-12045)** – Specification, *Standards development project*. Pharmaceutical Environmental Group - PEG, 2026. **[Pharma LCA Consortium](https://peghub.org/lca)**, PEG Hub. - [How to Access Our Data](https://support.ecoinvent.org/how-to-access-our-data#main-content) - [Using ecoQuery](https://support.ecoinvent.org/how-to-access-our-data#using-ecoquery) - [Downloads, Files, Reports](https://support.ecoinvent.org/how-to-access-our-data#downloads-files-reports) - [ecoinvent Data](https://support.ecoinvent.org/ecoinvent-data) - [Version 3](https://support.ecoinvent.org/version-3#main-content) - [Understanding Version 3](https://support.ecoinvent.org/version-3#understanding-version-3) - [Releases](https://support.ecoinvent.org/version-3#releases) - [Sectors](https://support.ecoinvent.org/sectors) - [Data Submission](https://support.ecoinvent.org/data-submission#main-content) - [Data Submission Process](https://support.ecoinvent.org/data-submission#data-submission-process) - [ecoEditor](https://support.ecoinvent.org/data-submission#ecoeditor) - [FAQs](https://support.ecoinvent.org/faqs#main-content) - [System Models](https://support.ecoinvent.org/faqs#system-models) - [Markets](https://support.ecoinvent.org/faqs#markets) - [LCIA Results](https://support.ecoinvent.org/faqs#lcia-results) - [Use Cases](https://support.ecoinvent.org/use-cases) - [Accounts](https://support.ecoinvent.org/accounts) - [Resources](https://support.ecoinvent.org/resources#main-content) - [e-Learning](https://support.ecoinvent.org/resources#e-learning) - [Relevant Standards](https://support.ecoinvent.org/resources#relevant-standards) - [Data Formats](https://support.ecoinvent.org/resources#data-formats) - [Webinars and Recordings](https://support.ecoinvent.org/resources#webinars-and-recordings) - [User Management Guides](https://support.ecoinvent.org/user-management-guides) - [Glossary](https://support.ecoinvent.org/glossary) [![Logo\_TrustedDataForSustainabilityDecisions\_neg (1)](https://support.ecoinvent.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo_TrustedDataForSustainabilityDecisions_neg%20(1).png?width=250&height=100&name=Logo_TrustedDataForSustainabilityDecisions_neg%20(1).png "Logo_TrustedDataForSustainabilityDecisions_neg (1)")](https://ecoinvent.org/) | ecoinvent, Technoparkstrasse 1, Zurich/Switzerland | | | [Contact us](https://ecoinvent.org/contact-us/) | [Database Login](https://ecoinvent.org/database-login/) | [Newsletter](https://ecoinvent.org/newsletter/) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |