SolarWorld AG has once again shown its commitment to transparency on sustainability issues with its 2015 integrated Annual Group and Sustainability Report, marking the ninth consecutive year that the report has been published. The group provides detailed reporting within the framework of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) on issues ranging from a sustainable management approach all the way to ecological and social indicators. SolarWorld is therefore also a forerunner when it comes to sustainability reporting in the solar power industry.
Our business model has focused on the principle of sustainability from the very outset, with sustainable manufacturing, sustainable products and sustainable energy. Our reporting offers high transparency in this regard, states Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck, Chief Executive Officer of SolarWorld AG.
SolarWorld has set itself concrete environmental goals for 2020 and reports annually on its progress. In 2015, for example, the group was able to reduce its energy consumption per watt peak by 17 percent in comparison to the base year of 2012; its aim is to reduce it by 25 percent by 2020. Increased internal water treatment has reduced the specific water consumption by 27 percent from 2012 to 2015.
Not every solar module is equal with regard to sustainability; we manufacture in Europe and in the United States, in accordance with the high environmental and social standards that exist there and right in the heart of our main markets, which reduces shipping distances and CO2 emissions, adds Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck. SolarWorld is constantly working on improving the efficiency and lifespan, and consequently, the yield of its products. This reduces the cost of solar power, whilst simultaneously increasing the benefits for climate and environment.
