Mitigate Supply Chain Risk & Uncertainty with Full-Component Supply Chain Traceability Audits
Significant risk and uncertainty exists in today’s global PV and energy storage supply chains. Solar developers, buyers, and investors working to combat climate change, reduce emissions and support renewable targets are facing unprecedented challenges.
A rigorous traceability program, going upstream all the way to raw materials and including key components such as polysilicon, in combination with an independent audit of suppliers’ own codes of conduct empower importers to be best equipped to meeting local requirements to demonstrate that the product meets import laws by documenting the provenance of key materials.
It’s in the importers interest to have the audit and, if needed, corrective actions so that customs officials don’t hold up or deny entry for your modules.
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Robust Third-Party Audits for Supply Chain Transparency
Every day, CEA’s global solar and energy storage experts are in factories around the world conducting on-the-ground audits and providing industry-leading data about technology, supply chains, and raw materials from manufacturers.
Our traceability audits can provide supply chain transparency through:
Continuous monitoring of ongoing legislation (Chinese, US, and EU)
Extensive supply chain and supplier relationships including C-level connections with every major PV supplier
Expertise in SEIA Traceability Protocol and Customs and Border Protection Procedures
On-site audits of upstream supply chain nodes and supplier documentation
Ongoing process to account for new nodes and processes
Contract support to ensure the right language and procedures are included to meet Customs’ requirements
CEA is a Leader in Solar Traceability
Clean Energy Associates 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).
CEA co-wrote SEIA’s Traceability Protocol – the de-facto guide for solar importers – our traceability audits follow SEIA’s Protocol which recommends controls such as:
Independent, third-party audits applied to internal processes and third-party suppliers;
Corporate social responsibility codes of conduct;
Security measures to safeguard information and prevent tampering of goods;
Due diligence and monitoring of suppliers;
Compliance programs;
Trainings of employees, and
Evaluation of policies and procedures along with corrective action plans
CEA contributed to SolarPower Europe’s (SPE) Solar Sustainability Best Practices Benchmark Report. The report covers a wide range of topics including:
Carbon footprints
Circularity
Sustainable Supply Chains
Biodiversity in Large Scale Solar
Planning and Designing for Public Acceptance
Human Rights
Supply Chain Transparency
On and Off-Site Audits Ensure the Segregation Process is Being Followed and is Effective
CEA’s traceability audits provide confirmation that producers have a segregation protocol in place at each stage of production. Our 4S assessment methodology addresses each critical node of the supply chain and provides continuous monitoring and assessment as new nodes are added.
Site Visits - Facilities tour, department visits, product and information flow assessment
Systems Appraisal – Review of auditee’s MES, ERP, API’s, IT, and other systems, digital information flows, hard copies, and archives
Auditing Subjects – Verification of the adequacy and effectiveness of policies, procedures, work instructions, and workflows on the shopfloor and departments through interviewing and assessment
Taking Samples – Examination of selected units from production lines, incoming materials, inventories, MES, etc. to confirm traceability onsite and the dissemination of information through upstream and downstream nodes in the supply chain
CEA’s 4S Assessment Methodology Overview
Site Visits
Systems Appraisal
Subject Audits
Samples
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