The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) is conducting our annual survey of manufacturers of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, and we would greatly appreciate your response. The deadline August 31, 2018.

Please complete and return this survey by the deadline to SVTC@SVTC.org using one of three documents options provided below. If you have any questions about the survey, email Sheila Davis at sdavis@svtc.org.

The final survey question provides space for you to further explain any of your responses. If necessary, please attach supplemental materials to support or verify any of your answers. When prompted for information posted on your website, this includes all publicly accessible content including sustainability and annual reports posted as pdfs. Please provide the URL for the webpage or file.

Solar Scorecard Survey
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Scoring Guidance Document
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Please complete and return this survey by the deadline to SVTC@SVTC.org using one of three documents options provided below. If you have any questions about the survey, email Sheila Davis at sdavis@svtc.org or call (408) 287-6707.

The final survey question provides space for you to further explain any of your responses. If necessary, please attach supplemental materials to support or verify any of your answers. When prompted for information posted on your website, this includes all publicly accessible content including sustainability and annual reports posted as pdfs. Please provide the URL for the webpage or file.

San Francisco – December 10, 2015 – The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) today released its Sixth Annual 2015 Solar Scorecard at www.solarscorecard.com, which ranks manufacturers of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules according to a range of environmental, sustainability and social justice factors. This year’s respondents of PV companies more than doubled from last year, including new participation from LG, Jinko, Kyocera, AUO and WINAICO.

The 13 companies that responded to the 2015 Solar Scorecard represent just 35.8 percent of the total PV module market share, with the remainder of the information gathered from publicly available documentation.

“The number of companies committed to reporting environmental practices continues to fluctuate wildly from year to year,” said Sheila Davis, executive director of Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. “The inconsistent participation is largely due to bankruptcies, restructuring and new entries into the Solar PV manufacturing market. We need consistent industrywide sustainability practices and reporting procedures that consumers can expect from all solar companies.”

In November 2014, SVTC announced plans to expand its Scorecard into a standard that meets the criteria of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). With participation more than doubling this year, SVTC believes that interest and participation will continue to increase as the Solar Scorecard transitions into a formal accredited standard by 2017.

Key findings from this year’s solar scorecard and SVTC’s research throughout the last six years include:

• SunPower (97), SolarWorld (93), Trina (92) REC (82) and Yingli (80) earned the top scores in 2015.
• Six PV manufacturers have written letters to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), seeking action on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for PV modules in the U.S. This number has doubled from the 2014 Scorecard. Most PV modules sold in Europe are covered by a pre-funded Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme to ensure safe and responsible disposal. No PV modules in the U.S. come with EPR.
• Over the past six SVTC surveys, 14 companies have said they would support public policy for an EPR scheme for PV modules (Aleo Solar, Avancis, Eurener, First Solar, REC, SolarWorld, SOLON, SoloPower, SunPower, Suntech Power, , Trina Solar, Up Solar, Jinko Solar and Yingli). However, at least one company’s 2015 letter (SolarWorld) openly expressed concern regarding SEIA’s ability to provide leadership in EPR policy development.
• Methods used by PV manufacturers to report the use of hazardous chemicals to the public remains inconsistent. Only six PV manufacturers (Trina, AUO, SunPower, SolarWorld, Sharp and JA Solar) do extensive chemical emissions disclosure and reporting on their websites. Sixteen companies (three more than in 2014) report one or more categories of emissions (hazardous waste, heavy metals, air pollution, ozone depleting substances and landfill disposal).
• Fourteen companies manufacture PV modules with amounts of cadmium or lead below regulatory thresholds set by the European Union, the world’s most stringent standard (increase from 12 companies in 2014). This indicates that the maximum concentration found in any homogenous material that makes up these PV modules is less than 0.01 percent for cadmium and 0.10 percent or less for lead.

“The SVTC Solar Scorecard requires PV module manufacturers to report on sustainability performance metrics, disclose environmental, health, and safety certifications and report other information,” said Associate Professor Dustin Mulvaney of San Jose State University, who helped SVTC interpret the scores. “These practices are increasingly commonplace in other electronics and semiconductor industries. The fact that company scores continue to increase is a sign that solar industry leaders are integrating sustainability reporting into operations.”

View the full results

2014 was a very productive year for SVTC. We laid a solid foundation for two major initiatives that will keep us very busy in 2015 and beyond. I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on our latest projects—and also to encourage you to join us by making a generous year-end gift to SVTC.

First, we’ll be developing SVTC’s successful Solar Scorecard into a formal set of product standards for solar PV products. At the same time, we’ll move forward with the Solar Recycling Incubator, a model project to ensure the sustainability of off-grid solar products around the world.

SVTC’s Solar Scorecard—Developing an ANSI Standard for Solar PV Sustainability

Since the Solar Scorecard was launched five years ago, the solar PV industry has expanded six-fold, from just 6.4 GW of PV module production in 2009 to 38.7 GW in 2013. The Scorecard has had a significant impact on the industry and continues to drive positive change. Since 2010, 44.5% of the PV industry (based on 2013 market share) has participated in one or more SVTC Scorecard surveys. The Scorecard is a valuable resource for responsible consumers, and this year it was viewed more than 200 million times online.

Starting in 2015, SVTC will begin developing the Scorecard into a formal standard accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The standard will provide an important tool for U.S. and international regulatory agencies, and will also expand the Scorecard’s usefulness for large institutional purchasers.

Development of the ANSI standard is a rigorous two-year process that involves a wide range of stakeholders and will cost an estimated $250,000. Your support will be essential as we take the Scorecard to the next level!

Solar Recycling Incubator—Sustainable Solar for Africa

Launched in 2014, SVTC’s Solar Recycling Incubator is a model project for sustainable solar PV use in Africa. By improving solar product design, distribution, and recycling, the project will help protect the environment and also address the root causes of poverty in rural agriculture communities.

Over the next 35 years, 1.8 billion babies will be born in Africa, doubling the continent’s population. In some countries, such as Malawi, more than 90 percent of the people lack access to grid electricity, relying instead on polluting fuels such as coal, kerosene, and wood. Small solar devices can help address this need, but because of short product life spans, they also have the potential to become a new wave of toxic e-waste.

In 2014 SVTC developed strong partnerships with communities, repair technicians, and recyclers in Malawi, and also with international scholars and solar companies. Our goal is to develop safer and more recyclable PV products, accessible repair manuals, and a recycling database. At the same time, we are partnering with a farming community in Malawi to pilot the use of solar devices in sustainable agriculture.

SVTC’s 30 years of research, advocacy, and organizing have resulted in landmark policies for e-waste recycling, toxic clean up, toxic materials reduction, worker protection, and community right-to-know. Your generous contributions have made this work possible, and we encourage your continued support. Together, we can ensure safe and sustainable technology for the next 30 years and beyond.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year!

Sincerely,
Sheila Davis, Executive Director, SVTC

P.S. Please visit www.svtc.org to learn more about SVTC’s programs.