Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021, 2022, 2023)
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Operations
- Colleagues
- Communities
- Environment
Environmental Achievements
- Achieved a 12% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared to the 2018 baseline.
- 22% of global electricity came from renewable sources (69% increase over the prior year).
- More than 60 Thermo Fisher sites achieved 100% renewable electricity.
- Launched a 100% recyclable paper cooler, eliminating approximately 650,000 cubic feet of EPS foam.
Social Achievements
- Increased representation of women in executive management roles by 7.2% from 2017 to 2021 (globally).
- Increased US representation of racially and ethnically diverse colleagues by 6.2% from 2017 to 2021.
- Supported more than 100,000 students through STEM programs.
- Committed $25 million in impact investments to support racial equity.
Governance Achievements
- Published a Sustainable Financing Framework and issued a €550 million sustainability bond.
- Actively manages Board composition and refreshment to increase diversity.
- Maintains strong corporate governance framework with annual director elections, majority voting, and robust shareholder engagement.
Climate Goals & Targets
- By 2050, achieve net-zero emissions
- By 2030, reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% from 2018 baseline
- By 2027, 90% of suppliers (by spend) will set science-based targets
Environmental Challenges
- Supply chain disruptions
- Climate-related risks (extreme weather events)
- Scope 3 emissions (90% of GHG emissions from value chain).
Mitigation Strategies
- Developed alternative sourcing strategies.
- Implemented site-specific mitigation plans for extreme weather events.
- Established a near-term Scope 3 target to engage suppliers in setting science-based targets by 2027.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 31% of direct materials spend assessed for supplier responsibility (EcoVadis)
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- EcoVadis platform for supplier assessment
- Supplier Diversity Program
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
- Changes in precipitation patterns
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products
- Renewable energy procurement
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Standards, SASB Standards for Medical Equipment and Devices, TCFD, UN Sustainable Development Goals
Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ENERGY STAR, ACT label
Third-party Assurance: Bureau Veritas (for select environmental performance metrics)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3
- Goal 4
- Goal 8
- Goal 9
- Goal 10
- Goal 13
See Appendix 1
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- 100% recyclable paper cooler
- ENERGY STAR-certified products
- ACT-labeled products
Awards & Recognition
- Forbes’ World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies
- Human Rights Campaign’s 100% ranking for LGBTQ+ workplace equality
- Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies
- Gartner’s Social Impact of the Year Award
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Operations
- Colleagues
- Communities
- Environment
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from operations by 25% since 2018
- Increased goal to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 (validated by SBTi)
- More than 150 sites fully powered by renewable energy
- All current US sites will operate on 100% renewable electricity by 2026
- Reduced 5,000 MTCO2e by shifting one of the largest freight lanes from air to ocean transport
Social Achievements
- Colleagues volunteered more than 120,000 hours
- Donated nearly $6 million to critical causes globally
- Launched a new employee assistance program (EAP) focused on mental health
- Pay equity study conducted
- 500 HBCU alumni hired since 2020 (surpassing 2023 goal)
Governance Achievements
- Board of Directors oversees CSR strategy
- Revised Corporate Governance Guidelines to highlight role in CSR oversight
- 99% ethics and compliance training completion rate
Climate Goals & Targets
- Net-zero emissions by 2050
- Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% by 2030
- 90% of suppliers (by spend) to set science-based targets by 2027
- Assess water usage for water-intensive manufacturing facilities in water-scarce areas by 2024
- 30 zero-waste certified manufacturing and warehouse sites by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Supply chain disruptions
- Inflation
- Increased demand for mental health services
- Climate change impacts (extreme weather events)
Mitigation Strategies
- Developed alternative sourcing strategies
- Special inflation payments to colleagues
- Expanded covered mental health visits and implemented Behavioral Health Navigator platform
- Site-specific mitigation plans to manage extreme weather risks
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: Not disclosed
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- EcoVadis platform for monitoring compliance
- Supplier Diversity program
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
- Changes in precipitation patterns
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products
- Transition to renewable energy
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Standards (2021), SASB Standards for Medical Equipment and Devices, TCFD, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Global Compact
Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 13485
Third-party Assurance: Bureau Veritas
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3
- Goal 4
- Goal 7
- Goal 9
- Goal 10
- Goal 13
- Goal 17
Detailed explanation provided in Appendix 1
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Paper cooler
- Invitrogen Platinum Direct PCR Universal Master Mix
- Thermo Scientific DynaSpin Single-Use Centrifuge
Awards & Recognition
- Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index
- Disability:IN’s Disability Equality Index
- Forbes World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies
- America’s Best Employers for Veterans
- Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion
- R&D 100 Award
Reporting Period: 2023
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Innovation
- Diversity and inclusion
- Climate change
- Product safety and quality
- Talent management
- Community engagement and development
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by more than 29% lower than the 2018 baseline.
- Sourced 41% of global electricity from renewable energy.
- Entered into an agreement to power over half of Thermo Fisher’s European footprint with 100% renewable energy by 2025.
- Established a new commitment to achieve 80% renewable electricity utilization globally by 2030.
- Increased certified zero-waste sites from 14 to 20.
- Achieved a company-wide non-hazardous recycling rate of 56%.
Social Achievements
- Collectively volunteered more than 100,000 hours to support communities around the world.
- Launched the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, reaching more than 60,000 students.
- Established new collaborations with health and humanitarian organizations like the National Quality Minority Forum and Project HOPE.
- Improved diversity in clinical trials through training programs, partnerships, and community health clinic support.
- Launched the Digital Leadership Development program.
Governance Achievements
- Enhanced executive oversight of priority CSR matters with new leadership committees for human rights, supply chain due diligence, and artificial intelligence.
- Established a Generative AI Center of Excellence and three new Communities of Practice for specialized areas of environmental, health and safety.
- Updated Supplier Code of Conduct to align with new supply chain due diligence laws and regulations.
Climate Goals & Targets
- Net-zero emissions by 2050
- Achieve 80% renewable electricity globally by 2030
- Reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 50% from 2018 base year by 2030
- Have 90% of suppliers (by spend) set science-based targets by 2027
- Assess water usage for water-intensive manufacturing facilities in water-scarce areas by 2024
- Achieve 30 certified zero-waste manufacturing and warehouse sites by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Supply chain disruptions
- Climate-related risks (coastal flooding, wildfires, water stress, extreme temperatures)
- Transition risks (regulatory changes, market shifts)
- Maintaining traceability within the distribution chain
Mitigation Strategies
- Developed alternative sourcing strategies
- Implemented various measures to prevent and minimize potential damage to equipment and facilities (improved sprinkler system protection, earthquake bracing, and emergency response planning)
- Conducted climate scenario analysis to deepen understanding of risks
- Expanded supply chain due diligence program to incorporate suppliers with greater inherent risk
- Implemented a new global EHS Data Management System to standardize reporting and management of EHS incidents and obligations.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 57% of direct materials spend assessed for ESG performance in 2023
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Supplier diversity program
- Traceability due diligence for responsible sourcing of 3TG
- On-site audits to investigate human rights concerns
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
- Changes in precipitation patterns
- Increased severity and frequency of extreme weather events
- Changes in precipitation patterns and extreme variability in weather patterns
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products
- Transitioning to a low-carbon economy
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Standards (2021), SASB Standards for Medical Equipment and Devices (2023), TCFD recommendations, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Global Compact principles (UNGCs)
Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 27001, ENERGY STAR
Third-party Assurance: Third-party auditor (details available on website)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3
- Goal 4
- Goal 5
- Goal 7
- Goal 8
- Goal 9
- Goal 10
- Goal 12
- Goal 13
- Goal 17
Initiatives across the company contribute to these goals (detailed in Appendix 2).
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Invitrogen™ DynaGreen™ magnetic beads
- Thermo Scientific™ TDE Series Freezers
- Thermo Scientific™ Vanquish™ HPLC and UHPLC Systems
- Thermo Scientific™ DynaDrive™ Single-Use Bioreactor
Awards & Recognition
- World’s Most Admired Companies
- America’s Most Innovative Companies
- America’s Most Responsible Companies
- Best Inventions of 2023
- R&D 100 Award
- ROL100 Indiggo / Fortune
- World’s Best Employers
- America's Best Employers for Diversity
- America’s Best Employers for New Grads
- America’s Best Employers for Veterans
- America’s Best Employers for Women
- America’s Best Large Employers
- Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion
- Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality
- World’s Top Companies for Women
- World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies
- Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable award for Outstanding Leader of 2023