With environmental sustainability and social responsibility at its core, SunPower demonstrates continued industry leadership by manufacturing 100 percent of its direct current E-Series and X-Series solar panels to meet Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Silver standards. Administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Cradle to Cradle certification evaluates a product across five categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy use, water stewardship and social fairness.
"Consumers can drive significant environmental change by supporting products that are sustainably designed, sourced and manufactured, and Cradle to Cradle certification provides trusted validation that these products are made with minimal impact to our earth and local communities," said Lewis Perkins, president of the Cradle to Cradle® Products Innovation Institute. "We congratulate SunPower for their commitment to helping residential and commercial customers reach their long-term sustainability goals whether it be by achieving LEED certification for a building or reducing a home's carbon footprint with Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Silver solar panels."
Four SunPower facilities located in Mexico, France and now the Philippines are producing Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Silver solar panels – the only solar panels in the world that carry the mark. These same SunPower manufacturing sites are on a path to becoming "triple certified" to add landfill-free verification and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification to their list of sustainability achievements.
Most Recent Landfill-free Verification Earned in France
At the end of 2015, SunPower facilities in De Vernejoul and Toulouse, France, joined the company's Mexicali facility in earning landfill-free verification from NSF Sustainability, a division of the global public health organization NSF International.
"Achieving landfill-free status and having it verified by NSF Sustainability shows the commitment that SunPower is making to more sustainable operations," said Jenny Oorbeck, General Manager of NSF International's Sustainability Division. "We congratulate SunPower on these waste reduction accomplishments."
With this recognition, three SunPower facilities now hold the verification demonstrating that 99 percent of the waste generated at each location is diverted from landfills.
Latest Industry Recognition and Continued Commitment to Sustainability
SunPower continues to earn industry recognition for its sustainability initiatives. Most notably, the company placed first in the 2015 Solar Scorecard released by Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), showing leadership in manufacturing solar panels according to environmental, sustainability and social justice factors. In six years of the report being published, SunPower received the highest rating ever acquired by a participating solar company with 97 points.
"Toward the end of 2015, world leaders reached a historic agreement to address climate change head-on. At SunPower, we believe solar power will help significantly meet the challenge, and we'll continue driving innovations that allow us to design and manufacture high-efficiency solar products even more sustainably," said Marty Neese, SunPower COO. "SunPower has proven that there's a holistically better way to help residential, commercial and power plant solar customers globally achieve their renewable energy goals with minimal impact to the environment, and we look forward to further reducing our carbon footprints, together."
(Photo Creidt: SunPower)