The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a draft industry standard, with the aim of enhancing transparency of the solar and storage supply chain and helping companies comply with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) traceability requirements.
The Standard 101 provides a rubric that manufacturers and importers can follow to trace product origins from raw materials to finished goods.
The standard is based on real-world examples of solar product shipments that were detained and released by customs officials and includes input from stakeholders, including manufacturers, developers and third-party auditors.
“The U.S. solar and storage industry has an unwavering commitment to ethical operations,” says SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.
“As we build out domestic manufacturing up and down the supply chain, this standard will help to ensure all solar and storage products installed in the United States meet the highest ethical standards. This standard is part of SEIA’s broader efforts to build a strong foundation for the industry and thoughtfully address near- and long-term challenges, setting the industry up for decades of success.”
SEIA’s supply chain standard applies to both companies and products, supporting solar developers and manufacturers throughout every facet of supply chain mapping and tracking.
Manufacturers can use the standard to certify an individual product as well as their business. Once the standard is published, SEIA will work with third-party auditors to certify that the provenance of a product has been properly tracked. Similarly, a manufacturer can have its supply chain management system certified by SEIA as well.
Solar and storage developers can also use the standard to track the origins of project components while installers, insurers and other businesses relying on solar product information can require vendors to follow SEIA’s standard.
Standard 101 is now open for public comment and is expected to be published and in-use by next year’s first quarter.
In July, SEIA released Standards 401 and 201 that govern solar sales and installation practices. It expects to release draft standards on O&M and environmental, health and safety training for installers and technicians later this year, as well as an equipment recycling standard next year.
