The human rights situation in Xinjiang is causing an expanding trend of international sensitivity.
As half of the global supply of polysilicon, one of the key materials for solar panels, comes from Xinjiang, people in this industry are concerned that the polysilicon could be linked to forced labor in Xinjiang, which has been internationally condemned, according to the Wall Street Journal.
For weeks, international ready-to-wear brands, including H&M, have been receiving widespread international attention for demonstrating concerns about forced labor in Xinjiang’s cotton industry, sparking a backlash within China.
And more and more countries around the world are calling for restrictions on trade with Xinjiang, with legislation in both the U.S. and Europe that could trigger import bans on more products, with polysilicon likely to be included.
Many Western solar companies have already moved to reduce their exposure to Xinjiang products for fear that solar energy will be the next focus of attention. The American Solar Energy Industries Association (Solar Energy Industries Association) has advised member companies to get rid of their dependence on Xinjiang’s supply chain as soon as possible and to take concrete steps to ensure that their products have nothing to do with Xinjiang.
Because polysilicon production is labor-intensive, China has dominated this market in recent years because it has many low-cost coal-fired power plants, especially in Xinjiang. Some industry insiders point out that Chinese companies control 80 percent of the global solar supply chain.
Western companies are often unable to figure out the realities within the Chinese supply chain, and it is likely that Chinese companies mix raw materials such as polysilicon from Xinjiang with those from other regions.
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