Intertek’s Clean Energy Associates Appointed to Measure Progress Toward Sustainability in the Solar PV Supply Chain
Assessing PV factories for compliance with Solar Stewardship Initiative’s ESG Standard
August 2024: Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, announces that its clean energy advisory division, Clean Energy Associates (CEA), will be one of the first testing companies to assess the solar industry’s progress on environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards under the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI).
In this role, CEA will conduct assessments at the factories of SSI member companies to monitor their compliance with the initiative’s ESG standard for the photovoltaic (PV) solar industry.
CEA was named an approved “Assessment Body” as part of SSI’s drive toward a more sustainable and ethical solar supply chain. The company has a specialty in supply chain optimization among its market-leading quality assurance, market intelligence, and engineering services. CEA has led traceability efforts for years, including supporting the development of a Supply Chain Traceability Protocol on behalf of the U.S.-based Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
SSI’s newly developed ESG standard is tailored to the PV industry to assess performance in such areas as business ethics, the environment, and human and labor rights. SSI member companies commit to having two of their sites assessed for compliance within 12 months by an approved Assessment Body such as CEA.
“Expert, independent, and trustworthy assessment is the cornerstone of any true supply chain assurance system,” said Alexia Ruvoletto, Head of the SSI Secretariat, in making the announcement. “We look forward to working together to drive a more responsible, transparent, and sustainable solar value chain.”
“CEA is committed to driving the solar industry towards greater sustainability and transparency, and we know what it takes. We are excited to help the industry achieve these critical ESG standards,” said Andy Klump, CEA’s Founder and CEO.