Reducing Carbon in Clinical Trials: Thermo Fisher Scientific

The healthcare and health sciences industries have a significant environmental impact, contributing to approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Key players in the industry, including Thermo Fisher Scientific, are working to integrate strategies such as shifting to renewable energy, developing greener products and medicines and creating sustainable supply chains.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has been named 31st in Sustainability Magazine’s Top 250 World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2025.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Its short-term goals include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared to its 2018 baseline and achieving 80% renewable energy globally by 2030.

It identified opportunities to reduce emissions by conducting energy assessments at 45 of its sites that contribute to more than 50% of its emissions.

As a result of this research, more than 100 of its sites are now fully powered by renewable electricity.

In 2024, it achieved a 29.4% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, making steady progress to its 2030 target.

Marc Casper, Chairman, President and CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific, says: “These actions bring us another step closer to achieving our net zero emissions goal.

“As we move ahead, we continue to improve the environmental sustainability of our sites, and we are working with our suppliers to reduce emissions across our global value chain.

“I’m excited about what lies ahead and how, together, we’ll keep building a brighter future for all of our stakeholders.”

Greener by Design initiative

Thermo Fisher Scientific aims to evaluate how it designs, manufactures and recycles its products to help improve the environmental impacts across the product life cycle. 

It has created a Greener by Design identification system so consumers can recognise products with a low carbon footprint.

Its green leaf symbol on a product means that it meets one or more of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s sustainability criteria.

These criteria include generating less hazardous waste, being more energy efficient or being more responsibly packaged than previous or comparable products.

Its green products can also be made using recycled materials or incorporate content from renewable sources.

A carbon calculator for clinical trials

PPD, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s clinical research business, recently launched its Clinical Trial Carbon Calculator.

This tool is designed to help biopharmaceutical companies and research sponsors estimate, understand and reduce the environmental footprint of their clinical trials.

Research shows that a single Phase 3 clinical trial can produce up to 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent gases.

The Clinical Trial Carbon Calculator is an open access tool which assesses emissions from each phase of a study.

This helps identify which parts of a study have the most carbon impact and provides strategies that companies can implement to lower emissions without compromising quality.

Michael J. Cohen, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at Thermo Fisher Scientific, says: “As an industry committed to improving human health, we also have a responsibility to protect the planet.”

“Our new Carbon Calculator gives sponsors the insights they need to make data-driven, sustainable choices in trial design, before the waste and fossil fuels are burned.

“By helping our customers start to understand the material sources of their carbon impact, we’re equipping them with the information needed to make a change, ensuring the way we advance medicine also protects the world we live in.”

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