Responsible sourcing 

Fulfilling our Mission requires a large supply base across our global network. These suppliers support our research and development teams and provide the raw materials, lab equipment, chemicals and other vital goods used across our manufacturing and service network around the world. We strive for a supply chain that promotes differentiation and generates economic development in local communities, which we advance through our small and specialty supplier program. 

Supplier Code of Conduct 

To help govern our network of suppliers, the Thermo Fisher Supplier Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for suppliers and partners, and their subcontractors, in the areas of ethical practice, human rights, health and safety, environmental responsibility and management systems. It is integrated into supply agreements and terms and conditions, and suppliers agree to share their performance against code expectations at our request.  

Read more about responsible sourcing here.  

Supply chain due diligence

Our expansive supplier network impacts manufacturing, distribution and non-production expenses. To optimize the effectiveness of our responsible sourcing strategy, we segment our supplier engagement activities based on contribution to our spend, criticality in delivering products to meet customer demand, and potential for ethical, human rights or environmental risk. 
 
We use a globally recognized third-party platform to monitor compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct and to assess and accelerate improvements in supplier practices related to ethics, the environment, sustainable procurement and labor and human rights.

The Supplier Code of Conduct also specifies that suppliers share our commitment to environmental sustainability and minimize adverse impacts on communities and the planet. We place particular emphasis on engaging suppliers in addressing climate change and supporting Thermo Fisher in achieving our ambitious net-zero roadmap. 
 
In 2020, we set a five-year goal to assess 80% of direct materials for ethics, human rights and environmental performance. On track to achieve this target, suppliers in our program are expected to meet or exceed our scoring threshold to demonstrate strong management practices. 

Compliance 
In 2024, we expanded our existing supplier onboarding process for Germany to include Switzerland and Norway, ensuring we meet country-specific EU regulatory requirements. We also deployed an onsite audit program as a continuation of our efforts to expand our supply chain due diligence program beyond the high-spend direct materials segment to incorporate suppliers that demonstrate a greater inherent compliance risk. The scale of this program includes monitoring of nonconformances and oversight to help drive continuous improvement. On-site audits may also be utilized to investigate credible human rights concerns or complaints, most often raised through our Global Ethics Hotline. If substantiated, we work toward remediation of any identified work practices in conflict with our Supplier Code of Conduct. 
 
Human rights and modern slavery 
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.’s 4i Values of Integrity, Intensity, Innovation and Involvement are the foundation of our culture, guiding all interactions with our customers, suppliers and partners, and communities, and with each other. As the first of these values, Integrity reminds our colleagues to honor commitments, communicate openly and demonstrate the highest ethical standards. This includes a commitment to ensuring that our own operations and our supply chain respect human rights and fair labor practices, and uphold global standards for equal opportunities, the freedom to associate, as well as the elimination of modern slavery, human trafficking, and harmful or exploitative forms of child labor. 


We publish an annual Human Rights and Modern Slavery Transparency Statement pursuant to global regulations, including:

• the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (“California Act”),
• section 54(1) of the UK Modern Slavery Act (“UK Act”),
• the reporting requirements under the Commonwealth of Australia Modern Slavery Act (“Australian Act”), 
• the Norwegian Transparency Act (“Norwegian Act”),
• the Swiss Ordinance on Due Diligence and Transparency in relation to Minerals and Metals from Conflict-Affected Areas and Child Labor (“VSoTr”), and
• the Canadian Fighting Against Forced Labor and Child Labor in Supply Chains Act (“Canadian Act” and, collectively, the “Acts”).

Access our current statement on our Reporting hub.

To learn more about our approach to human rights, please visit our Ethics page. 
Download: Human Rights and Modern Slavery Transparency Statement 2023 
Previous statements can be found on our Reporting Hub. 
To learn more about our approach to human rights please visit our Ethics page. 
 
German Supply Chain Act (LkSG) 
As of January 1, 2023, the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz - LkSG) has come into force. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that companies with operations and facilities in Germany maintain human rights and environmental standards across their supply chain. 
For a more comprehensive overview of this legislation and its effects on our business, please review our company’s policy statement. 
For details on our risk management and due diligence approach in accordance with LkSG, please review our LkSG Report. 
 
Responsible mineral sourcing 

Our products use a variety of materials, including tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold (3TG).  We are committed to sourcing materials from suppliers that share our values regarding human rights and environmental sustainability. In addition to issuing supplier assessments and improvement plans, Thermo Fisher also conducts traceability due diligence for responsible sourcing of 3TG, and works with the Responsible Minerals Initiative to drive the ethical sourcing of minerals.

Our Responsible Minerals Sourcing Statement and Thermo Fisher Form SD and Conflict Minerals Report are available on our Reporting hub.

Inquiries can also be made to the Thermo Fisher Responsible Minerals mailbox.

Training and capability building

In championing the CSR initiatives of our own supply chain partners, in 2024 we continued to enhance the education offerings provided through our supplier due diligence program. 

For industry: 

Contributed to the featured case studies in the Sustainable Procurement Pledge’s  “Unlock the Power of Best Practice Sharing” event, highlighting our best practices and recommendations in the areas of: 

• Accelerating renewable energy with customers and suppliers 
• Net zero supplier engagement
• Carbon capital planning 

 
For procurement colleagues:

• More than 800 procurement and sourcing partners completed the Introduction to Supplier Responsibility e-learning course
• 300 colleagues engaged in live supplier responsibility training webinars 
• Introduced sourcing agreements with new sustainability terms that support our net-zero ambition
• Continued to train procurement and sourcing specialists on the objectives and expectations of our small and specialty supplier program

For supply chain partners: 

• Engaged over 500 supply chain partners on starting or accelerating their net-zero efforts
• Delivered local language sessions to maximize inclusion, engagement and compliance of partners trained on our supplier risk assessment program 

Small and Specialty Supplier Program

A multi-faceted supplier base supports the resilience of our supply chain. Our small and specialty supplier* program is integral to offering customers broader sourcing options, providing them access to quality products and fostering innovative solutions at competitive prices. 

In 2024, our spend with small and specialty suppliers was $2.2 billion. We continually grow our program, in part, by engaging with third-party organizations and certifying bodies that facilitate new relationships and insights for a more differentiated supplier network.

To contribute to the development of small and specialty supply partners, our procurement teams provide them with regular feedback that can enhance their capabilities over time and strengthen their competitive positioning within our global network. We also advise our customers on shaping more robust and transparent supplier programs. Collectively, our approach further unlocks unique business opportunities across our value chain.

In 2024, we continued our mentorship program for small and specialty businesses through the organization Diversity Alliance for Science. Our premier collaboration was with Innovative Development (ID-LLC), a woman-owned business that offers repeatable, reliable and defensible legal and records management solutions. ID-LLC’s mentorship goals centered on marketing strategies to raise targeted awareness and understanding of their offerings, which are designed to mitigate risk, reduce costs, and streamline processes. For industry professionals, we focused on deploying a series of webinars under the Innovative Development Education Academy banner, a resource for records management and information governance experts. We also gathered input from life sciences procurement teams and used the insights to refine value proposition statements targeting nontechnical stakeholders. 

“The mentorship with Thermo Fisher has empowered me to pitch confidently on demand while refining my message to resonate with each audience. Additionally, the valuable feedback I received from multiple Thermo Fisher employees has enabled me to make changes that convey my message more clearly and visually to the audience.”   
Amanda Rodi, Owner, Innovative Development