Investors and purchasers of photovoltaic equipment want to ensure that the products they source comply with increasingly stringent environmental, social and governance policies. Over the past 18 months, the sourcing and refinement of polysilicon in PV modules has come under international scrutiny due to suspicions of forced labor in the industry. PI Berlin’s Steven Xuereb discusses supply traceability audits the company has conducted. It has assessed the risk that modules might involve supply chains out of line with legislation or corporate ESG policies, and the risk of imports being seized or blocked.
Initial audits show that silicon supply chain traceability systems only extend from modules back to cells for most manufacturers. Traceability further upstream is generally reliant on third-party provided information that is difficult to trace or verify.
Image: PI Berlin
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