The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) says that all solar modules that are on their way to the European Economic Environment, Switzerland and the United Kingdom must come from production locations that are certified for environmental, social and administrative standards and traceability of the supply chain.
The SSI has adopted a new series of binding goals and reporting requirements for the members of the manufacturer.
The initiative, which was first launched in 2022, was a sun -specific sustainability assurance program developed by SolarPower Europe and Solar Energy UK. It currently represents more than 70% of global production capacity, with more than 85 GW of solar module capacity already certified against the SSI Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standard.
Under newly agreed goals, the initiative has said that at least 80% of solar modules must come from SSI-certified sites from the beginning of 2027, as a result of which it increases to 100% of the solar modules at the beginning of 2028.
The SSI said that the new target provides a clear timeline for solar modules that are intended for the European Economic Space, Switzerland and the UK to come from production locations that are certified against both the SSI ESG and the traceability standards for Supply Chain, which are produced under Rob -modules and tried.
SSI’s Stakeholder Board has also approved new reporting requirements for module manufacturers.
From April 2026, SSI members will be obliged to inform the initiative secretariat about a list of all operational production locations, the annual production capacity of each site and planned dates and results of SSI ESG and the traceability assessments of the Supply Chain.
SSI said it will use this information to keep track of and verify the progress in global activities, which strengthens the accountability to governments, investors and buyers. An anonymous aggregated report of the information is also planned.
Rachel Owens, CEO of the initiative, said that the goals will be revised and updated annually, with potential to further extend upstream to extra sites.
“By setting clear, measurable goals and requiring transparent reporting in all production facilities, the SSI accelerates the progress of full ESG and traceability assurance in solar energy,” Owens added. “This work is crucial to build trust with policy makers, investors and consumers – and to ensure that the energy transition is both fast and fair.”
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