Rachel Owens has been appointed as the CEO of the Solar Stewardship Initiative
She has a rich experience in corporate sustainability and transparency
Owens said she will work to promote ethical and sustainable solar industry practices
Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), the supply chain sustainability assurance scheme for the solar PV sector, has announced Rachel Owens as its new chief executive officer (CEO).
Owens comes to this multi-stakeholder initiative from the European Climate Foundation, where she worked as the director of Climate Finance and Corporate Action. She previously also worked with Global Witness in various roles, including as the head of Corporate Accountability.
SSI says she brings with her a wealth of experience in corporate sustainability practices, global corporate transparency and due diligence laws.
These skills, along with her robust network across civil society organizations, international financial institutions and philanthropic bodies, will come in handy at SSI, which is making efforts to promote responsible solar supply chains.
“Responsible and sustainable supply chains are essential to ensuring the success of the solar industry and driving a just transition globally. I look forward to collaborating with partners across the ecosystem to drive meaningful progress,” said Owens.
A brainchild of SolarPower Europe (SPE) and Solar Energy UK, the SSI was launched in October 2022 to help bring transparency into the solar value chain by creating a trail of who is manufacturing solar products, how, and where (see Solar Stewardship Initiative For Solar Value Chain).
It works with manufacturers, developers, installers and purchasers globally to foster responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of materials. It is backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
At the TaiyangNews Solar & Sustainability Conference 2024, SSI’s Head of Secretariat, Alexia Ruvoletto, presented a brief overview of the initiative (see SSI: Europe’s Comprehensive & Robust Sustainability Assurance Program).
Recently, some Chinese manufacturers have also secured SSI badge certificates, including JA Solar and Astronergy (see China Solar PV News Snippets: Trinasolar Develops 800W Tandem Module & More).