The European solar industry has launched a supply chain assurance scheme to develop confidence in how and where PV products are manufactured.
Dubbed the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), the plan sets out the solar sector’s next steps in ensuring transparency and responsible production across the value chain.
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The SSI has been jointly launched by trade associations SolarPower Europe and Solar Energy UK and endorsed by more than 50 companies.
A core instrument of the initiative is the SSI Code, a corporate sustainability standard that is set to be piloted at several sites in October 2022, and then open to public consultation in spring 2023.
Following completion of the consultation and publication of the SSI Code, applications will be accepted for verification assessments, with the full roll-out of the SSI assurance scheme expected in December 2023.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO at SolarPower Europe, said: “We are presenting a clear timeline towards a solution that consumers can trust – an assurance scheme that their solar products are made under the highest human rights and sustainability standards.”