A report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee highlights the atrocities in Xinjiang and the UK’s responsibility to act on this. Between 2017-19, over 80,000 Uyghurs were forcibly moved out of Xinjiang and distributed in factories across China. These workers are typically paid very little or nothing at all, and with factories surrounded by barbed wire, guard towers and constant surveillance, China has fulfilled every characteristic of forced labour camps littered with human rights abuses.
What this means for UK solar
The problem extends further when we delve into the source of materials used in solar panels that are prevalent in the UK. It is estimated that 40% of UK solar panels contain materials sourced from Xinjiang, China. In particular, quartz mining and the processing of metallurgical silicon are causing the most concern in relation to Xinjiang’s human rights abuses; but these issues aren’t exclusive to solar PV. All kinds of goods rely on this supply chain, including aluminium, adhesives, and semiconductors, to name a few.
Xinjiang’s association with forced labour camps means importers of Chinese materials need to take a closer look at their supply chain and identify from which provinces these materials originate. If you are a buyer working with a UK solar installer, enquire about where their materials are imported from, and if you are a UK solar installer, ensure you have the right answers to this question.
How do you import ethically?
Xinjiang’s human rights abuses against Uyghurs is a major geopolitical issue, but this doesn’t mean that all goods imported from China carry ethical implications. While the evidence of human rights abuse and injustice against the Uyghur people is indisputable, the solution is not an outright ban on all goods imported from China and other somewhat undemocratic countries.
The solution is supply chain transparency. As of February 2021, 175 companies active in the solar industry have signed a pledge to be more transparent about where their raw materials are being sourced from, highlighting a shift in attitude across the industry as suppliers become more vigilant and open about their supply chains. This extends far beyond the forced labour camps in Xinjiang and aims to identify the origins of any materials associated with human rights abuses.
