Sustainability times three: SolarWorld receives multiple awards

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In October, SolarWorld AG was again awarded the “GREEN BRAND Germany” quality seal. Only brands proven to practice environmentally friendly production and that are committed to a high degree of sustainability and climate protection receive the award. In addition to SolarWorld, this year, brands like alverde Naturkosmetik, Frosch and Apollinaris are also included. Brands are nominated, tested, and finally evaluated by an independent jury in cooperation with various market research institutes and the Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI).

SolarWorld also impresses in the ranking of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). With an overall score of 87 points, the company improved its result from the previous year by 10 points (2013: 77) and with this is the best solar company in the ranking. CDP is considered the world’s largest database for company-relevant climate information. This includes both information on harmful greenhouse gas emissions, as well as company targets and strategies to reduce them.

The company was also able to improve its ranking on the Solar Scorecard of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC): In the five-year overview, the solar modules from SolarWorld had the best performance. Each year, the SVTC awards points in various categories – for example, working conditions or value-added chain – to draw attention to production conditions.

Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck, Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG: “Sustainability is our business model. You can only produce clean energy with solar modules which themselves have been produced cleanly – made in Germany and made in the United States.”

Solar power modules from SolarWorld now have an “energy payback time” of only one year with a guaranteed service life of 25 or, for glass-glass modules, even 30 years. This means that the solar modules will produce at least 25 times as much energy as was used to manufacture them. In contrast to nearly all competitors, SolarWorld produces exclusively in Germany and the U.S. in accordance with local environmental and social standards. The company also reduces transport routes and emissions by producing directly in the primary markets of Europe and America.