Thermo Fisher Nears Powering EU Sites With 100% Renewables

Biotech research firm Thermo Fisher Scientific is well versed in setting and surpassing climate targets.

"Thermo Fisher is driven by a profound mission — to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer," explains Marc Casper, Chairman, President and CEO at Thermo Fisher.

“We also understand our obligation goes beyond enabling our customers’ success and extends to making the world a better place by supporting our communities, being a good steward of our planet and creating a great work environment for our colleagues.

“I am proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and deeply grateful to our global team for their passion for fulfilling our mission and delivering on our commitments to society.”

To bolster its sustainability credentials, Thermo Fisher Scientific has partnered with international renewable energy developer X-ELIO on a 10-year solar virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), aimed at increasing its renewable electricity supply.

The objective? To fully power its European operations with energy from renewable sources.

Thermo Fisher: decarbonising through solar energy

The Lorca solar project, the result of this VPPA, is anticipated to be operational by early 2026.

Along with the ongoing Serbal solar project, this agreement will allow Thermo Fisher Scientific to ensure that all its eligible European sites are powered by 100% renewable electricity.

Thermo Fisher’s 73MW share of the Lorca project is expected to generate around 150,000MWh of renewable energy annually—enough to power 40,500 homes across Europe for an entire year.

This initiative, alongside its efforts to meet European renewable targets, fast tracks Thermo Fisher Scientific’s journey toward achieving 80% global renewable electricity by 2030.

The agreement also involves a group of pharmaceutical partners—including GSK, Gilead Sciences, and Haleon—under the Energize initiative, contributing to the reduction of both Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is the lead for this cohort. The agreement supports its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, as well as cutting Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.

“When we collaborate with our customers and suppliers, we accelerate our collective progress toward net zero emissions,” says Konrad Bauer, Senior Vice President of Global Business Services at Thermo Fisher Scientific. 

“Achieving 100% renewable electricity for our European sites is a significant milestone on our journey and, as cohort lead for this agreement facilitated by the Energize initiative, we are committed to leveraging our experience and insights to help enable similar milestones for our partners.”

The Energize initiative

The Energize initiative is a collaborative programme that Thermo Fisher Scientific became part of in 2021.

Managed by Schneider Electric in partnership with the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative, it works with the world’s foremost pharmaceutical companies to drive the adoption of renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Energize aims to support suppliers in understanding and adopting renewable energy, with a particular emphasis on power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The programme targets Scope 2 and 3 emissions by enabling suppliers to engage with renewable energy markets.

“Making the most out of our energy and resources is crucial as we collectively move toward more sustainable solutions across industries and around the world,” adds John Powers, Vice President of Global Renewables at Schneider Electric.

In 2023, Thermo Fisher Scientific made its global renewable electricity commitment, aligning with the SMI Health Systems Task Force joint supplier standards. This commitment expands on the company’s enhanced target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, based on 2018 levels.

Moreover, Thermo Fisher Scientific plans to power all its US facilities with 100% renewable electricity by 2026.

This highlights the company’s swift progress towards achieving net-zero emissions globally, as well as its leadership in promoting sustainability across the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Explore the latest edition of Manufacturing Digital and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Manufacturing LIVE.

Sign up to our weekly newsletter here.

Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.

Manufacturing Digital is a BizClik brand.