"Human rights and solar energy", 26 March 2025

The primer "Human Rights and Solar Energy: A Primer for the Danish Solar Energy Sector," published by the Danish Institute of Human Rights and Ethical Trade Denmark, aims to build capacity among Danish solar companies regarding human rights considerations within their operations and supply chains. This publication emerges from a collaborative project involving various stakeholders in the solar energy sector and emphasizes the importance of ethical practices in the transition to renewable energy.

The primer identifies several critical human rights issues that are prevalent throughout the solar energy value chain. These issues span multiple stages, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, project development, logistics, installation, power generation, and decommissioning. Each stage presents specific risks related to labor rights, community engagement, and environmental impacts, which require proactive management to safeguard human rights.

Findings of the report highlight the urgent need for solar energy companies to engage in human rights due diligence actively. The report outlines the variations in maturity levels regarding responsible business conduct among participating companies, revealing a common demand for guidance on embedding human rights standards in their business practices.

Key recommendations:

Recommendations for Individual Companies:

• Establish Due Diligence Processes: Implement comprehensive due diligence processes in accordance with international standards, following the six steps of due diligence as specified by the OECD Guidelines.
• Assign Responsibilities: Designate a function with a strong mandate and clear responsibility for human rights due diligence within the company.
• Map Supply Chains: Create a detailed map of your supply chain and assess potential risks connected to forced labor and other human rights issues.

Recommendations for Collaborative Sector Action:

• Form a Working Group: Formalize an association or working group specific to the solar sector to unify efforts, share information, and develop collective tools and resources.
• Share Information: Establish mechanisms for sharing evaluations and insights on suppliers' respect for human rights, including their connections to forced labor.
• Engagement with CSOs: Collaborate with civil society organizations, academic institutions, and independent researchers to enhance understanding and documentation of human rights impacts in solar panel supply chains.
• Collective Leverage: Utilize collective leverage among companies to promote and enforce human rights standards in the raw materials supply chain and foster improvements in working conditions.

Recommendations to State Actors:

• Define Procurement Roles: Clarify public procurement's role in addressing human rights risks in renewable energy policies.
• Integrate Due Diligence: Ensure human rights due diligence is part of public procurement processes for solar panels.
• Implement Regulations Effectively: Guarantee the effective implementation of responsible business conduct regulations.
• Engage with the Sector: Collaborate with the solar industry during the transposition of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
• Support Community Engagement: Involve local communities in decisions on renewable energy projects to ensure equitable outcomes.
• Promote Human Rights Dialogues: Work with the international community to address human rights issues linked to solar energy supply chains.

The full document can be accessed here.