It’s a typical day and Matthew Yamatin is strapping on his bicycle helmet and zipping up his riding jacket, ready to start his 11-mile journey (one way) into the office at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Missing from his garage is any sign of a car – that’s because he doesn’t own one. A passionate advocate for true, sustainable living, Matthew prefers to ride into work to do his part in reducing carbon emissions.
His journey into sustainability began in high school, when an environmental studies class he took piqued his interest, but it would be several years later - after building technical skills in design engineering, construction, energy, and emissions accounting – before he launched his consulting practice while living in China. It specialized in developing and executing sustainability programs for clients in the biopharmaceutical and educational sectors.
During that time, Matthew learned two invaluable lessons: move quickly but pivot even more quickly when a better approach to address an environmental challenge emerges, and always bring your “A” game—you never know when it might open the next door.
Today, Matthew is the sustainability program director for Thermo Fisher, where he develops the company's environmental sustainability strategy and leads strategic customer engagement. He is an engineer and an LEED Accredited Professional in building design and construction.
We spoke with Matthew to learn more about his passion for sustainability and how transitioning to a low-carbon economy will create both challenges and opportunities for innovation and growth at Thermo Fisher.
Q: When it comes to climate change, time is of the essence. Could you explain why there is urgency in addressing this crisis?
A: The support and consensus of the scientific community has enabled our society to become increasingly aware of the immediate and long-term consequences of climate change. These range from more frequent extreme weather events to the risk of crossing critical tipping points in social-ecological systems.
As a company, we realize that investing in fossil fuel infrastructure now could lock us into a future of high emissions that is incompatible with our climate goals. Acting with urgency is not just a moral imperative—it’s also smart business. It helps us allocate capital efficiently and avoid investments that could become obsolete with the shift away from fossil fuels.
On a personal level and as a parent to two young daughters, I am deeply concerned about the current trajectory of global emissions. If the current pace continues, the amount of carbon released will lead to significant, irreversible impacts for their generation, far beyond the 1.5°C warming limit set to avoid the worst impacts.
"The support and consensus of the scientific community has enabled our society to become increasingly aware of the immediate and long-term consequences of climate change. These range from more frequent extreme weather events to the risk of crossing critical tipping points in social-ecological systems."
Sustainability program director
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Q: What are Thermo Fisher's specific climate goals or commitments, and how are you tracking progress toward achieving them?
A: At Thermo Fisher, we set ambitious, yet achievable, sustainability targets with clear, actionable plans to support both our commitments and those of our customers.
Our targets are aligned with the scientific consensus to limit global warming to 1.5°C and are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. We summarize them as “50 – 90 – 0.”
- 50 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, an acceleration from our earlier 30% target.
- 90 percent of our suppliers, by spend, to set science-based targets by 2027.
- 0 net emissions—achieving net zero by 2050.
We are also committed to 80 percent renewable electricity globally by 2030, in line with customer expectations, including standards set by the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health System Task Force.
To ensure we stay on track, we’ve developed robust tools and processes to monitor our progress every quarter. We share updates with our leadership and stakeholders, balancing effective resource use with proactive issue management.
Q: Can you describe the key sustainability initiatives Thermo Fisher has implemented to address climate change?
A: The initiative that I am most proud of began shortly after I joined the company and laid the foundation for our ongoing efforts. In 2022, we faced a lot of noise – competing ideas on how to approach sustainability and net-zero.
To tackle this, we needed a clear, straightforward message—one that could resonate throughout the organization, from the CEO to the scientists working in the lab. In response, we developed the following framework:
Transition away from fossil fuels – accelerate renewable electricity – engage with suppliers.
This simple yet powerful narrative has guided several key initiatives, including:
- Building standards guide, which prohibits the installation of new fossil fuel-based equipment.
- Virtual power purchase agreements, which add clean energy to local grids.
- Innovative biobased plastic products, which provide a more sustainable alternative to traditional fossil-based plastics.
Q: How does Thermo Fisher address the environmental impact of its supply chain, and what initiatives are in place to improve sustainability in this area?
A: With nearly 80 percent of our company’s emissions stemming from its supply chain, it is clear why engaging with suppliers is a crucial component of our strategy. However, supplier engagement requires navigating a wide spectrum of climate maturity levels.
In line with our commitment to simplicity and impact, we have two main climate expectations for our suppliers: 1) disclose their emissions, and 2) set a science-based target. For suppliers who are already advanced and meet these criteria, we focus on driving further progress through initiatives like our renewable electricity support program. For those who are less advanced, we are launching a program to help them calculate and report their emissions, building the necessary foundation for climate action.
We also actively target suppliers that can offer innovative, sustainable solutions for our customers. For example, our partnership with DHL Express uses sustainable aviation fuel to enable low-carbon shipping. Additionally, we source plastics made from bio-circular feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, to reduce reliance on virgin fossil feedstocks. In these cases, we require suppliers to provide clear documentation of the carbon impact, so our customers can confidently claim the quantified reductions.
"At Thermo Fisher, our customers are our top priority. This means we must align the pace of our sustainability actions with the needs of our customers—both now and in the future. Acting too early risks misalignment if customers are not ready, while acting too late could drive them to seek alternatives. The key challenge for sustainability practitioners lies in determining the right level of ambition, as what constitutes a "sustainable justification" can vary greatly. Identifying that balance is essential for creating lasting change, regardless of the scale."
Sustainability program director
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Q: How do you engage with customers to better understand their expectations and develop solutions to support their sustainability goals?
A: During our initial interactions with customers, we discovered a significant barrier to achieving meaningful outcomes: a disconnect between our customer-facing teams and sustainability resources.
To address this, we collaborated with the commercial team to establish a customer sustainability engagement program. This program allows us to quickly and effectively respond to sustainability-related requests and provide regular updates on our progress, including the launch of new sustainable solutions.
For the company, the program serves as a valuable platform to gather customer feedback. This helps build a strong business case for developing additional sustainable solutions or making strategic adjustments to our sustainability program, such as providing product carbon footprints.
"While Thermo Fisher is a global leader—we cannot achieve a low-carbon economy alone. Partnerships are essential to driving the impact needed to create meaningful change."
Sustainability program director
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Q: What are the biggest challenges the company faces in achieving its sustainability targets, and how are you addressing these obstacles?
A: Throughout my experiences in sustainability—both at Thermo Fisher and in previous roles—I’ve observed that one of the fundamental challenges is a lack of clarity. This ambiguity manifests in various ways, but it consistently acts as a barrier to progress.
At the product level, customers often lack an efficient method to evaluate and compare the environmental impact of similar products, which limits their ability to include sustainability as a key factor in procurement decisions. At Thermo Fisher, we believe that standardizing information through tools like My Green Lab’s ACT Ecolabel can address this challenge.
At the relationship level, many customers are unsure of the mechanisms available to reduce their Scope 3 emissions. To address this, Thermo Fisher has focused on improving the quality and accessibility of our emissions data. This enables us to conduct decarbonization workshops at the individual business level, providing a clear roadmap for feasible emission reductions and outlining actionable steps for both parties to achieve these goals.
Q: What role do collaborations and partnerships play in your climate action strategy, and can you provide examples of successful partnerships that have significantly advanced your sustainability goals?
A: I’ve often emphasized that while Thermo Fisher is a global leader—with hundreds of sites and more than 120,000 colleagues worldwide—we cannot achieve a low-carbon economy alone. Partnerships are essential to driving the impact needed to create meaningful change.
We approach collaboration in multiple ways. In some cases, we partner with organizations to demonstrate our support for their mission, such as through the US EPA Green Power Partnership and the We Mean Business Coalition.
In other instances, we take a more active role to help propel the industry forward. For example, our work with My Green Lab and use of the ACT Ecolabel and with the Pistoia Alliance to calculate the carbon impact of clinical trials are initiatives designed to reshape business as usual and drive significant, lasting change.
Q: How do you balance the immediate business needs of the company with long-term sustainability goals?
A: Balancing immediate needs with long-term goals becomes manageable when your justification for sustainability is both well-founded and pragmatic. When I was building the sustainability program at an international secondary school, the guiding principle was straightforward: if an action could be connected to both current and future benefits, it was worth pursuing.
At Thermo Fisher, our customers are our top priority. This means we must align the pace of our sustainability actions with the needs of our customers—both now and in the future. Acting too early risks misalignment if customers are not ready, while acting too late could drive them to seek alternatives.
The key challenge for sustainability practitioners lies in determining the right level of ambition, as what constitutes a "sustainable justification" can vary greatly. Identifying that balance is essential for creating lasting change, regardless of the scale.
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