Corporate Social Responsibility

Climate

Climate

As the world leader in serving science, Thermo Fisher supports the urgent calls for action from scientists around the world to address climate change. We have committed to becoming net-zero by 2050 and joined the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign led by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aligning our goals with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force joint supplier standards. This commitment expands on our near-term targets for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, which are aligned with a 1.5°C trajectory. Thermo Fisher’s near- and long-term net-zero targets have been approved by the SBTi.

 

Our net-zero strategy is centered around:

 

  • Transitioning away from fossil fuels and high-impact refrigerants
  • Accelerating the adoption of renewable electricity
  • Engaging with our suppliers to amplify collective progress

Our goals and progress

50%

Reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2030 from 2018 baseline

80%

Renewable electricity globally by 2030

90%

Of suppliers (by spend) to set science-based targets by 2027

Net Zero

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2050

Combating climate change is integral to Thermo Fisher’s short- and long-term business strategy. Our approach to achieving our goals relies on our PPI Business System and is anchored by transitioning away from fossil fuels and high-impact refrigerants in our operations, sourcing renewable electricity across our operations and engaging with our suppliers to amplify collective progress.

Energy and emissions

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions

In 2019, we set a Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 30% by 2030.* We have made significant progress toward this target despite considerable expansion of our global capacity and infrastructure—so much so that in 2022, we raised our 2030 Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target from 30% to more than 50%.* This reduction target fulfills our commitment to the Business Ambition to 1.5˚C campaign and aligns our climate strategy with the 1.5˚C pathway recommended by the Paris Agreement.  Additionally, in 2023, we announced our first global climate target: achieve 80% renewable electricity globally by 2030.

 Thermo Fisher’s near- and long-term net-zero targets have been approved by the SBTi, making us one of the first companies in our sector to achieve their most ambitious designation.

Increased procurement of renewable electricity is a key driver of recent reductions and integral to our near-term strategy to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. At the end of 2021, 22% of global electricity came from renewable sources, a 69% increase over the prior year. Since then, more than 150 Thermo Fisher sites have now achieved 100% renewable electricity. Our approach is centered around the concept of “additionality” — or directly supporting the development of new renewable generation sources. We do this by adding renewable systems at our sites and leveraging long- term power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with new wind and solar facilities. Thanks to virtual PPAs signed with Enel North America, EDF Renewables, and ib vogt, Thermo Fisher will power all of our current U.S. sites with 100 percent wind and solar electricity by 2026, and over half of our addressable European sites with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025.

 

In addition, we are continually conducting energy assessments at our largest manufacturing facilities to help plan our transition away from fossil fuels. Prioritizing high-emission sites that represent more than 50% of our Scope 1 and Scope 2 footprint, the most recent findings have uncovered opportunities to eliminate over 80,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, approximately 25% of our fossil fuel-related emissions. Several of these projects are already underway. Always looking to leverage best practices and our continuous improvement culture, we have also developed a net-zero building design playbook to support new and existing facilities in our journey toward net-zero.

Scope 3 emissions

Our supply chain is our largest source of emissions, representing more than 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated within our value chain. With the development of a supplier engagement program for climate change, we can greatly reduce our environmental impact as a Company and sector. 
 

We took on a robust body of work to calculate the baseline for our Scope 3 emissions. To encourage a similar investment in reporting and emissions reduction, we have established our first near-term Scope 3 target. For suppliers that represent 90% of our Scope 3 emissions from (1) Purchased Goods and Services and (2) Upstream Transportation and Distribution, Thermo Fisher will engage them in setting climate-related, science-based targets by 2027. 
 

Based on early reporting and interactions, we were able to immediately support foundational change. To read more about the actions we are taking with our suppliers, please refer to the Operations section.

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