The U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association has released voluntary guidelines aimed at eliminating the use of forced labor to build solar panel components.
Some U.S. lawmakers have recently expressed concern that the industry is dependent upon the raw material polysilicon linked to work camps in China’s Xinjiang region. U.N. experts and rights groups estimate over a million people, mainly Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, have been detained in camps in Xinjiang in recent years.
Officials in China, the world’s largest maker of solar products, have denied accusations of abuse.
The guidelines, in the form of a 40-page document, outline measures companies should take to identify sources of a product’s materials and to analyze their movements through the supply chain. The recommendations include rigorous descriptions and documentation accompany products as they move through factories and are shipped to the U.S.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Nov 18, 2016
Canada GBC launching Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative
First step toward Zero Carbon Building Standard.
Codes and Standards | Nov 17, 2016
Santa Monica, Calif., passes historic net-zero ordinance
Includes more stringent commercial, multifamily building standards.
Codes and Standards | Nov 14, 2016
Six more states approve legal marijuana, creating opportunities for developers
Federal prohibition complicates the picture.
Codes and Standards | Nov 14, 2016
Los Angeles voters approve billions to tackle traffic and homelessness
The approved measures will create new rail lines and permanent housing.
Codes and Standards | Nov 9, 2016
NRMCA updates environmental impacts of concrete
The EPD now includes 88 companies, 72 mixes.
Codes and Standards | Nov 9, 2016
Louisiana flood projections require urgent action, officials say
The 'no net loss’ prediction now seems unrealistic.
Codes and Standards | Nov 8, 2016
American Concrete Institute offers new guide for repair of concrete buildings
The guide provides assistance on assessment and rehab.
Codes and Standards | Nov 7, 2016
The AISC prequalified seismic moment connection standard is now available
You can download the 2016 version for free.
Codes and Standards | Nov 4, 2016
Obama Administration makes a push for denser, more affordable cities
The administration calls for zoning code changes and other measures to create more housing.
Codes and Standards | Nov 3, 2016
OSHA proposes safety standards changes to reduce employer costs
The changes include clarification on excavation standard and reporting job-related hearing loss.
