TaiyangNews: LONGi is the first in the industry to receive ISO 20400 certification for sustainable procurement. What lessons have you learned in building a responsible, resilient supply chain – and how do you enforce ESG standards across tiered suppliers?
LONGi: LONGi has established a 3-tier supplier management structure consisting of ‘Decision-making Level–Leadership Level–Execution Level’. The Board of Directors’ Strategy and Sustainability Committee is responsible for strategic decision-making, the Group's Strategy Management Committee provides leadership and supervision, and the Supply Chain Management Center handles the day-to-day implementation, with supporting departments collaborating for the efficient development of supply chain management activities.
LONGi integrates sustainable procurement throughout the procurement lifecycle, promoting the adoption of green development principles by upstream and downstream enterprises in the supply chain.
The company is committed to driving the green transformation of the industrial chain. In the ‘LONGi Supplier Code of Conduct’, signed by suppliers, LONGi calls on industrial chain partners to prioritize environmental protection. Key suppliers are required to obtain ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification, and the ‘Sustainable Procurement Policy’ and ‘Sustainable Procurement Guidelines’ advocate for green procurement. The company pledges to minimize the negative impact of raw materials used, actively collaborates with upstream suppliers and other stakeholders to promote the use of circular, renewable, and third-party verified raw materials, and avoids sourcing materials from regions critical to biodiversity through origin tracing.
In 2024, we conducted questionnaire-based and on-site audit due diligence for 123 new suppliers and 136 qualified suppliers. We performed 71 on-site audits for 48 key suppliers, accounting for 73% of BOM material procurement value. During these audits, we identified a total of 1,768 issues, including 133 environmental issues and 870 social issues. Furthermore, we engaged third-party auditors and LONGi's ESG team (all auditors are SA8000 internal auditor certified) to conduct specialized ESG audits for silicon material and module component suppliers.
We have formulated a 2024-2028 Supplier ESG Capacity Building Plan, aiming to gradually increase the proportion of procurement spending from key Tier 1 suppliers participating in the capacity building program to 95% between 2025 and 2028. As of the end of the reporting period, this proportion stood at 73%, representing an 18-percentage-point increase compared to 2023. In addition, LONGi has launched the 'LONGi e-Learning Supplier Platform', which provides systematic training and professional technical support to continuously promote the concept of sustainable development and assist suppliers in enhancing their ESG management capabilities. During the reporting period, 228 suppliers were encouraged to register and use the platform.
TaiyangNews: How are you ensuring traceability and transparency for your products, especially in light of growing regulatory scrutiny around supply chain due diligence in Europe and the US?
LONGi: LONGi, adhering to ISO 9001:2015 and SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) standards, and referencing traceability inspection criteria from clients and third-party organizations, has built its own supply chain traceability system from the ground up. LONGi enforces rigorous traceability management standards and has established a three-tier control mechanism of ‘commitment - verification - admission’.
LONGi proactively invited third-party organizations to conduct professional traceability audits across its entire production chain, covering over 10 factories involved in module, cell, ingot, and wafer production. The third-party organizations conducted detailed and professional on-site inspections of the traceability system, validation of traceability logic, and sampling verification.
In 2024, we piloted the TSS online traceability service, which provides clients with fully transparent and visible end-to-end traceability. This service covers all of our company's bases, extends vertically to the silicon supply chain, and delves horizontally into non-silicon main materials. It has significantly enhanced the timeliness of traceability services, offering clients a prompt and rapid traceability experience. We will continue to optimize and enhance the effectiveness of our traceability system and processes, aiming to achieve customer satisfaction through efficient and high-quality traceability services.
TaiyangNews: You’ve introduced several cutting-edge products like record efficiency Hi-MO X10 modules and TaiRay wafers. How do you balance sustainability, innovation, and performance in R&D decisions?
LONGi:
TaiyangNews: Your partnership with UNHCR exemplifies LONGi’s commitment to energy equity. What impact have you seen so far from projects like the solarization of UN hubs in Uzbekistan or support for girls’ education in Pakistan? (Follow-up question:) And what role does energy equity play in the long run for you?
LONGi: LONGi has donated and installed 700 kW of high-efficiency solar modules, significantly reducing the Logistics Center’s reliance on traditional power grids and substantially cutting operational costs. It is projected to generate nearly 1 million (989,933) kWh of electricity annually, which will help UNHCR achieve its goal of reducing GHG emissions from core relief items and emergency operations by at least 30% by 2030.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has released the UNHCR Supply Strategy 2024-2030 and is committed to reducing GHG emissions from core relief items and emergency responses by at least 30% by 2030. Within this climate-humanitarian nexus, LONGi has signed an agreement with the UNHCR in 2023 to establish a 3-year (2024-2026) global partnership to drive renewable-powered humanitarian supply chains.
For Pakistan’s girl empowerment program, under the support of LONGi and other partners, we have achieved remarkable results. For example, we supported 142 refugee village schools in enrolling 56,512 refugee students, with female students accounting for 42%.
We trained 919 teachers (1/3rd female) in professional development programs, including digital learning training for 375 teachers, to improve teaching quality and support national curriculum implementation.
We conducted 20 community awareness activities reaching 3,674 community members, focusing on education rights for both boys and girls, child protection, prevention of gender-based violence, and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.
LONGi is working to enhance school infrastructure, with a dedicated focus on dismantling barriers to girls’ education. We firmly believe every child deserves equal access to learning, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. While challenges remain formidable, tangible progress in refugee children’s educational outcomes has been achieved. These efforts have yielded positive results, providing refugee children and youths with equitable learning opportunities and infusing renewed hope and momentum into Pakistan’s education landscape.
TaiyangNews: And what role does energy equity play in the long run for you?
LONGi: Energy equity is a core principle for LONGi, playing a pivotal role in its long-term strategy and global impact. It brings both challenges and opportunities.
TaiyangNews: LONGi emphasizes ‘global sharing’ as part of its sustainability model. Can you discuss how that plays out in your community investment and humanitarian programs beyond UNHCR?
LONGi:
We have constructed a photovoltaic-powered water tower and a 0.86 kW rooftop photovoltaic project for the maternity clinic in Linga Linga Village, Mozambique, aiming to assist the local maternity clinic in obtaining clean water sources. Since the system was put into operation, the clinic has delivered 58 babies (17 per month on average), safeguarding maternal and infant health through clean energy and providing a sustainable solution for improving public health conditions.
We worked with Revolusolar, a non-governmental organization in Brazil, to donate 60 high-efficiency PV modules to communities that lack a stable power supply and construct distributed solar systems on rooftops. The project has benefited 50 households. Over the past 3 years, it has generated over 70,000 kWh of electricity. It provides solutions for lighting, medical equipment operation, and power supply for daily life during power outages, and relieves the burden of local people by reducing energy costs.
Through such a sustainable way, we safeguard residents' rights to energy access, healthcare, and an adequate standard of living, and inject green momentum into human rights protection in favelas.
We harness sunlight to empower energy equity with steadfast responsibility while using solar technology to build a more inclusive and sustainable future.
With ‘Affordable for All’ as our goal, we promote a fair and just global energy transition through green technology innovation. In areas such as health and well-being, biodiversity conservation, and quality education, we empower community sustainable development with the power of green technology, practicing corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
TaiyangNews: The solar sector is in a consolidation phase. What does that mean for how you treat your employees in these difficult times?
LONGi:
Taking a people-centered approach, the Company has developed a multidimensional employee care system covering benefits, health management, career development, and living support based on local conditions, cultural traditions, and staff preferences at all operation sites, aiming to enhance employees’ sense of belonging and happiness.
TaiyangNews: You currently hold an EcoVadis Gold Medal and have improved your MSCI and CDP scores. What’s next on your roadmap regarding major ESG indices and certifications you are still missing or would like to improve?
LONGi: In 2024, LONGi's MSCI rating rose to BBB, achieving the highest score globally in the semiconductor industry for A+H shares and ranking first in the photovoltaic industry. For the first time, LONGi was honored as the ‘Industry's Most Improved Company’ by S&P Global CSA and was included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook (China Edition) 2025. Achievements such as the EcoVadis Gold Certification (top 5% globally), CDP Water Security A- Leadership Rating and CDP Supplier Engagement Leader, and FTSE Russell ESG Rating 3.8 score (industry-leading) comprehensively demonstrate LONGi's global benchmark status and industry leadership in ESG governance. Looking ahead, we are prioritizing progress in areas that align with global frameworks such as the TCFD, TNFD, SBTi, and CSRD.
In terms of ratings, we aim to further improve our Sustainalytics score and regain the highest MSCI ESG rating in the photovoltaic industry. We are also preparing for CSRD-aligned disclosure in the future. By executing this roadmap, we aim to keep the ESG Rating Leadership profile in the global solar industry.
TaiyangNews: Are there any areas where you believe LONGi’s sustainability performance is underrecognized or misrepresented in current ESG ratings?
LONGi:
While ESG ratings are improving in transparency, we believe some areas of LONGi’s performance remain underrecognized. One key example is the treatment of our green electricity transition. In some rating methodologies, only on-site generation is fully acknowledged, whereas our broader efforts through long-term green power purchase agreements and credible I-RECs are undervalued, despite their role in achieving 47.5% renewable electricity coverage in 2024.
Another area is supply chain governance. We have established robust ESG risk screening and audits covering critical suppliers, but this is sometimes overlooked in ESG assessments that rely primarily on public disclosure volume rather than substance. We continue to engage actively with rating agencies to close these perception gaps and enhance qualitative understanding of our initiatives.
TaiyangNews: You’ve achieved a ‘zero-carbon factory’ status for the Jiaxing base and have plans for more. What’s the blueprint for replicating this success across your other manufacturing facilities?
LONGi:
LONGi’s Jiaxing base was certified as our first ‘zero-carbon factory’ by SGS in accordance with the PAS 2060 standard, representing a benchmark for future replication. The replication blueprint focuses on 4 components: 100% renewable electricity usage, continuous improvement in energy and process efficiency, full carbon accounting (Scope 1, 2, and key Scope 3), and third-party verification.
We begin with baseline carbon assessments and renewable electricity planning, followed by targeted process improvements such as smart lighting, waste heat recovery, and electrification of thermal processes. Residual emissions are offset using high-quality, verifiable carbon credits. We’re prioritizing replication in regions with developed renewable energy infrastructure and are working toward zero-carbon status in additional sites by 2025.
TaiyangNews: Nearly half your power needs were supplied by renewables in 2024. What’s the schedule as you strive for 100% renewable target, and how do you want to achieve it?
LONGi:
In 2024, LONGi achieved 47.5% renewable electricity usage, and we remain on track to reach 100% renewable electricity across all global operations, in line with our RE100 commitment. This target will be achieved through a mix of on-site solar deployment, off-site Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and the use of credible renewable energy certificates such as I-RECs and GECs.
We are aligning green electricity planning with site development and capacity expansion to ensure new factories are designed with renewable integration in mind.
TaiyangNews: You have recently joined the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), which strives to provide transparency for the supply chain. What are your next steps as part of this membership?
LONGi:
Joining SSI marks an important step in reinforcing LONGi’s commitment to responsible and transparent supply chains. In 2025, LONGi is actively undergoing SSI’s dual ESG and traceability audit. Our immediate focus is to align with SSI’s ESG audit protocols and contribute to the development of a globally harmonized solar industry sustainability standard. We will actively participate in working groups to help shape metrics and practices that reflect the realities of upstream suppliers in Asia.
LONGi also intends to pilot the implementation of SSI-aligned audits at select manufacturing sites and upstream partners. The insights gained will help us not only enhance traceability but also support industry-wide progress in responsible sourcing. This initiative complements our broader approach to supplier ESG performance management, risk-based due diligence, and engagement.
TaiyangNews: We are seeing somewhat of a rollback in ESG in countries / regions that have been leading here, e.g., the European Union delaying through its Omnibus bill targets for the CSDDD. What does that mean for you?
LONGi: It is an opportunity for LONGi to review our supply chain management.
TaiyangNews: Looking ahead to 2030, how do you see LONGi’s role evolving in the global energy transition, and what would you most see as your legacy as the Chief Sustainability Officer?
LONGi: Next 25 years, solar for all.
