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.
Rachel Owens (she/her), CEO of the Solar Stewardship Initiative, said:
“We commend the Joint Committee’s efforts to address forced labour and share their goal of driving accountability in solar supply chains. However, since the Committee held its hearing in March, the SSI has achieved a number of important milestones that are not reflected in the report.
The Initiative is governed by a balanced board that includes civil society, human rights experts, international finance, and both solar buyers and manufacturers. SSI membership now represents over 70% of global supply of solar PV manufacturing. More than 65 GW of solar PV module manufacturing capacity — equivalent to the combined solar demand of the UK and EU in 2024 — is certified against a strong ESG standard, through independent third-party audits including unsupervised worker interviews.
To further strengthen supply chain transparency, we have launched a new SSI Traceability Standard. This will ensure that every certified step — from raw materials to final modules — is both visible and verifiable.
Importantly, SSI membership is not a seal of approval. Certification is granted only to sites that meet our standards. If a site cannot pass independent assessment, it will not be certified.
We regret that the Committee was unable to engage with SSI’s new leadership and governance and welcome the opportunity for dialogue to clarify our progress and support collective efforts to uphold human rights in the solar sector.”
You can view the UK House of Lords Joint Committee on Human Rights report on Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains here
Get in touch with Rachel Owens, SSI CEO, directly on +32499714496