How Thermo Fisher Will Use 100% Renewable Power in Europe
At Thermo Fisher Scientific the pursuit of sustainability and operational efficiency in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors is not just a goal, it's a mission.
The company has embarked on a significant journey to reduce its environmental footprint by focusing heavily on renewable energy sources.
A cornerstone of this strategy is its collaboration with X-ELIO, a developer of renewable energy projects.
The company’s Chairman, President and CEO, Marc Casper, says: “Thermo Fisher is driven by a profound mission — to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.
“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.”
Strategic solar energy investments
Thermo Fisher Scientific is placing large bets on solar power to meet its sustainability objectives.
The company has inked a 10-year solar virtual power purchasing agreement (VPPA) with X-ELIO.
This makes Thermo Fisher a significant player in one of X-ELIO's prominent projects—the Lorca solar venture.
Scheduled to begin operations by early 2026, the Lorca project is a beacon of hope for renewable energy within the pharmaceutical sector.
Thermo Fisher's share of the project is expected to churn out around 150,000MWh of renewable electricity annually, sufficient to power tens of thousands of European homes.
This initiative is part of its mission to transition its European operations to 100% renewable electricity, aiming for a sweeping 80% renewable energy usage across its global operations by 2030.
“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.”
Collaboration for sustainability
Thermo Fisher Scientific is not alone in its journey towards sustainability.
Through the Energize initiative, an ambitious project managed by Schneider Electric and the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative, Thermo Fisher is collaborating with top pharmaceutical firms such as GSK, Gilead Sciences and Haleon.
This collective effort is primarily aimed at lowering Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, central to reducing the carbon footprint across the supply chain.
The Energize programme is instrumental in fostering a deeper understanding and adoption of renewable energy through power purchase agreements (PPAs), particularly among suppliers.
This pursuit of holistic supply chain sustainability underlines Thermo Fisher's role as a frontrunner in driving industry-wide changes.
“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,” says John Powers, Vice President of Global Renewables at Schneider Electric.
“The Energize programme aims to drive supply chain decarbonisation across the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries while serving as a playbook for other sectors as they look to power their operations with renewable energy.”
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