News

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has released its first Buyer’s Guide, a practical resource to empower solar energy buyers, such as project developers, investors, public bodies, or private businesses, to responsibly source solar modules and materials.

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) and the Copper Mark have signed a memorandum of understanding that provides a framework for collaboration promoting responsible production and sourcing of copper across the solar energy value chain.

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive sustainability, transparency, and resilience across the solar and wind energy industries’ supply chains.

DMEGC Solar has achieved certification for its sites Jiangsu DMEGC New Energy Technology Co. Ltd and Lianyungang DMEGC New Energy Technology Co. Ltd..

Risen Energy has achieved certification against the SSI ESG Standard for its sites Risen Energy (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. and Risen Energy (Ningo) Technology Co. Ltd. 

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has adopted a new set of binding targets and reporting requirements for its manufacturer members, marking another step forward in strengthening transparency and accountability across solar supply chains.

Last week, SSI CEO Rachel Owens took part in The Building Podcast with Mark Wakeford to discuss the SSI’s mission to make solar supply chains transparent, sustainable, and responsible.

Jinko Solar has achieved certification against the SSI ESG Standard for its sites JinkoSolar (Feidong) Co., Ltd. and Jinko PV (Shangrao Guangxin) Co. Ltd.

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is a global, multi-stakeholder programme working to strengthen environmental, social, and human rights due diligence across the solar value chain. It provides independently verified ESG and traceability standards to drive credible accountability from raw materials to final modules.

Since the beginning of 2025, a growing number of solar manufacturers, suppliers, and buyers have joined the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), reflecting the increasing recognition that transparent, responsible solar supply chains are essential for a fair and sustainable energy transition.

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is proud to announce the official formation of its multi-stakeholder Board, marking a new phase in its evolution as the leading global ESG and traceability assurance mechanism for the solar industry.  The new governance structure ensures equal representation between the industry and non-industry board members. The newly appointed six non-industry … Continued

Last week, the UK Government officially acknowledged the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) as a tool to help implement its amendment to the GB Energy Bill addressing forced labour in solar supply chains. Rachel Owens, CEO of the Solar Stewardship Initiative, (she/her), commented: “We welcome the UK Government’s recognition of the SSI as a key assurance … Continued

Rachel Owens, CEO of the Solar Stewardship Initiative, (she/her) said:   “The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) welcomes the UK government’s proposed amendment to the GB Energy Bill aimed at addressing forced labour in solar supply chains for UK markets. Strengthening supply chain due diligence is the duty of a responsible sector, and essential to ensure that … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Owens as its new Chief Executive Officer. Rachel brings a wealth of experience across philanthropy, civil society and government advocating for sustainability, corporate accountability and transparency, positioning her as a strong leader to drive SSI’s mission forward. Rachel joins the SSI from … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has updated its Core Documents – the Claims Guide, Assurance Manual, Complaints & Appeals Mechanism, and Assessment Body and Assessor Approval Procedure to ensure they continue to evolve alongside the Initiative’s growth and reflect the newly published SSI Traceability Standard. These updates reinforce the SSI’s commitment to robust governance, transparency, … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is proud to announce its membership in the Green Economy Coalition (GEC), the world’s largest alliance dedicated to transforming economic systems for a greener and fairer future. The GEC brings together businesses, trade associations, NGOs, UN agencies and civil society groups to advocate for sustainable economic reform. By joining this … Continued

Based on the findings of the investigation it commissioned, the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) Board has unanimously decided to lift the temporary suspension of JA Solar’s membership imposed on 16 January 2025 with immediate effect, recognising the company’s full cooperation and commitment in good faith to the established SSI Principles. The SSI reiterates its commitment … Continued

On 15 January 2025, Donghai JA Solar Technology Co, LTd, a subsidiary of JA Solar, was one of 37 cross-sector entities added to the United States’ Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. Donghai JA Solar Technology Co LTd presence on the list prevents entry of their products into the US market. The Solar … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) assessments, with additional ones already ongoing. These independent, third-party assessments, conducted by auditors at key solar production sites, mark a significant step forward in the SSI mission to promote transparency, accountability, and responsible practices across … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has reached a new major milestone in its mission to create end-to-end transparency and promote responsible practices across the solar value chain with the publication of its Supply Chain Traceability Standard. This new Standard provides a robust framework for tracing silicon (or other semiconducting materials) throughout the solar supply chain. … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has reached a major milestone in finalising its inclusive governance model. Following consultations with its Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) and other non-industry stakeholders, the SSI Board has officially approved its fully-fledged Multi-Stakeholder Governance Terms of Reference, acting the initiative’s commitment to equal representation of interests. Under the finalised structure, there … Continued

The SSI is seeking feedback on all aspects of the draft Supply Chain Traceability Standard and will conduct pilot testing in the coming months. Please use this form to share your feedback during the public consultation. Submissions will be open until October 21st, 2024, 23:59 CET. If your organisation is interested in participating in the … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is pleased to announce its partnerships with the first seven Assessment Bodies (ABs) set to support the work of the SSI: Intertek (parent company of Clean Energy Associates) DNV KIWA SGS Sinovoltaics TUV Sud TUV Rheinland These ABs will conduct assessments at the manufacturing sites of SSI members, against the … Continued

In March 2024, the first step of SSI Governance was achieved, with the initial industry members of the SSI Transition Governance being accepted to the SSI Board. The SSI is being designed as a multi-stakeholder initiative; the permanent governance of the SSI, which will be achieved later in 2024, will be governed by balance of … Continued

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is a solar-specific supply chain assurance scheme, working to further develop confidence in how, where, and by whom, solar products are manufactured. Following the successful conclusion of the SSI pilot and public multi-stakeholder consultation, the new SSI ESG Standard has been published – it’s the first supply chain ESG Standard … Continued

Wednesday 17th May 2023: Today, the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has opened a process for interested organisations to provide feedback on its development. The SSI was launched in October 2022, by SolarPower Europe and Solar Energy UK, with the goal of securing and demonstrating  responsibility, transparency, and sustainability across the solar value chain. The Initiative … Continued

SolarPower Europe and Solar Energy UK launch the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), setting out the solar industry’s concrete plan to reinforce a responsible, transparent, and sustainable solar value chain. Work on the SSI has been ongoing since February 2021, and is now publicly endorsed by over 50 solar companies, spanning the full value chain. A … Continued