Trina Solar has recently published its 2019-2020 report on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Covering two years, the report is highly comprehensive and was prepared in line with the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards 2018 issued by the Global Sustainability Standards Board. It details the company’s many practices and achievements in relation to CSR and sustainability, such as corporate governance, technology leadership, product innovation, green sustainable development, societal contributions and COVID-19 response.
Corporate Transparence and Regular Information Disclosure
On 10 June 2020, Trina Solar became the first PV company listed on the STAR MARKET after issuing its first A-Shares on the Shanghai Sci-Tech Innovation Board. In the disclosure period of the CSR report, and since it was first listed, the company has made 108 interim declarations and issued three regular reports. The highly efficient, transparent and regularized information disclosure system, along with its complete and accurate declarations, contributes to Trina Solar’s excellent reputation in the market and, more broadly, for being highly scrupulous.
Technology Leadership
From 2010 to 2020, the State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology operated by Trina Solar had a total investment of about 10 billion RMB in R&D funding. It has become a world-class technical innovation platform. In 2020, the company’s spending on R&D rose 22.29% over that of 2019, when such spending rose 23.73% compared to the previous year. By the end of June 2021, the company and the State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology had broken 21 world records in solar cell conversion efficiency and PV module output power.
210 Vertex Ultra-High Power Modules Leading Industry Development
Since 2019, Trina Solar has led the promotion in the research and development of 210mm modules. Last year, Trina Solar launched the Vertex ultra- high power modules worldwide and took the lead to realize their industrialization, leading the industry to formally enter the PV 600W+ ultra- high power era. Trina Solar’s 210mm ultra-high power modules and system- integrated new technology platform have paved the way ahead for the PV industry.
Excellent Performance in Sustainability
In Trina Solar 2020 Sustainable Development Goals, Trina Solar set the goal of reducing 10% consolidated energy consumption per MW module by 10% compared to the base year of 2015. This CSR report disclosed a reduction of 29.5% in 2020 compared to 2015.
The company also pledged to reduce electricity consumption by 15% and water consumption by 10% per production unit of power produced (MW) in 2020. The report disclosed that these targets were well and truly met last year, with electricity consumption falling 59.7% compared with 2015 and water consumption falling 50.6% using the same benchmark.
In 2019, the company’s reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in domestic China reached 46% compared with 2015, and this was surpassed in 2020, with a reduction of 68.6% compared with 2015 being met.
By the first quarter of 2021, Trina Solar had already shipped more than 70GW+ of modules, which can generate about 90 billion kWh of clean-energy power and reduced CO2 emissions by 94.22 million tons per year, equivalent to planting 5.1 billion trees.
In 2019, clean-energy generation capacity of solar power plants owned by Trina Solar in China exceeded the power consumption of all its domestic manufacturing plants and R&D centers by 14 million kWh. Last year, the corresponding figure was almost 30 times as much at 412 million kWh.
In July 2021, Trina Solar joined the global Science Based Targets initiative and signed the Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge. This once again underlines the company’s commitment to helping to limit the rise in the global temperature to 1.5°C through its own actions to cut emissions.
Taking Tough Measures to Combat COVID-19 but Minimizing Impact on Business Operations
After the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, Gao Jifan, chairman of Trina Solar, took immediate action to buy anti-pandemic supplies in China and elsewhere, and donated to pandemic outbreak centers.
Trina Solar also set up an internal emergency response mechanism as well as employee care programs to ensure both control and prevention of the pandemic while adhering to normal business operations as practically and safely as possible.
Speaking of the company’s performance and the opportunities and challenges ahead, Gao said, “We believe that an era of high growth in new energy is upon us. Trina Solar will remain steadfast in fulfilling its mission, committed to greater responsibility, and always giving back to society.”
As a world leader in PV and smart energy total solution provider, Trina Solar has always prided itself on its diligence in fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. Since 2011, it has rigorously abided by CSR reporting standards, publishing reports disclosing Trina Solar’s strategies, practices and performance in the field of CSR.
