Championing sustainability in the solar sector
JinkoSolar believes that sustainability is a key driver of market competitiveness not only in solar, but in the whole renewable energy sector.
We firmly endorse sustainability principles, which form the core of our business strategy. This commitment to sustainability is reflected in every aspect of our operations, from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing processes and product delivery.
We foster sustainable manufacturing practices that minimise environmental impact and enhance social responsibility while investing in R&D to maximise efficiency. This includes 100% green-electricity factories, technical innovations, waste management and resource conservation measures.
One key sustainability aspect at JinkoSolar is that the company is vertically integrated. This means that we produce ingot, wafers, cells and modules in our own factories and that we can trace components back to source, ensuring quality and reliability at every step of production.
This traceability programme, which has been externally verified by international third parties is vital to maintain the integrity of our products and to respond rapidly and effectively to our customers and market expectations. Our vertically integrated model not only allows us effective cost control, which is critical in maintaining competitive pricing and meeting delivery commitments, but also to guarantees the highest standards of quality, environmental responsibility, improved efficiency and lower GHG emissions. This approach enhances client satisfaction and loyalty, contributing to our brand’s reputation and market success.
We believe that the solar sector, as one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity, plays a key role in the decarbonisation of the economy. For this reason, JinkoSolar is a member of international solar and energy associations and initiatives like SolarPower Europe, the Solar Stewardship Initiative, Solar Energy UK, Global Solar Council and IRENA Coalition for Action, among others, in which the company actively participates and engages to collaborate with all industry stakeholders to foster responsible future growth.
Last but not least, sustainability for JinkoSolar also means being recognised from the market in regard to the company’s industry leading metrics across manufacturing and financial indicators, for both our photovoltaic panels and energy storage solutions.
Our approach to balancing sustainability with business growth involves a client-centric strategy, innovative low carbon product design and sustainable supply chain management.
JinkoSolar integrates sustainable development considerations into the entire lifecycle of products and continues to explore effective ways to ensure the highest quality products, energy efficient production practices, and support environmental stewardship. This holistic approach positions us as a leader in the solar industry, balancing the highest quality of products with a clear commitment to sustainability.
One example of how JinkoSolar integrates sustainability into real initiatives is the design of the “Zero-Carbon Factory” production chain. The company has established the first internal "Zero-Carbon Factory" production chain, linking eight "Zero-Carbon Factories", from ingot, wafer, cells and modules that have been externally certified as "Zero-Carbon Factory". The successful establishment of this internal production chain means that the factories within this chain have developed strong zero-carbon competitiveness through a series of emission reduction measures. In addition, last year JinkoSolar officially launched the Neo Green modules, which are entirely manufactured by our mentioned “Zero-Carbon Factory” production chain. Another example of sustainability initiatives is the certification of the carbon footprint of our modules, which are rigorously assessed and validated by certified third parties, which shows a yearly decrease in the carbon emissions among company products.
Those initiatives represent Jinko’s real commitment to maximising clean energy use across the supply chain and a recognition of the true efforts of the company into emission reduction, a more sustainable supply chain and the production of environmentally responsible solutions.
JinkoSolar has been proactively carrying out initiatives and actions on sustainability over the years. By integrating it into our business strategy, we have ensured that our growth is aligned with sustainable and ethical practices.
Our leadership is based on competitive technological advantages, vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities and robust industry ecosystem, of which one of its main goals is our internal ESG compliance. This is based on a social responsibility system which conducts internal audits across all production bases and invites authoritative third-party international institutions for external audits, alongside on-board global reputation ESG compliance standards like SEDEX, SSI, etc. In addition, we are proud of our Supply Chain ESG management system, which focuses on evaluating our supply chain’s performance in terms of social and environmental compliance and transparency with local laws, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, international standards including ILO guidelines and other industry best practices. Until today, dozens of core suppliers, covering silicon materials, glass and aluminium suppliers, have been third party on-site assessed.
This sustainability approach has been reflected in our most recent scores of several ESG ratings, such as our impressive score of 69/100 in the S&P Global CSA, ranking first among the top five PV module manufacturers or EcoVadis, in which the company scored its highest score of 73/100 and obtained the silver medal during January 2025. In addition, JinkoSolar was the first solar company to join the RE100 and EP100 initiatives and first Chinese PV company with Net-Zero targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. These achievements underscore Jinko’s sustainability performance and product management and has enhanced our brand’s reputation and fostered client loyalty, further solidifying our market position.
Solar is one of the most important sectors in the transition to a global low-carbon economy. The industry is committed to providing global markets with clean, safe, affordable and just energy solutions through innovative technologies, high-efficiency products and assets, biodiversity protection and involving local communities.
To achieve this, we need to bring together all solar supply chain stakeholders, policymakers, industry experts, manufacturers, asset managers, and more, to face the challenges and find the solutions needed for this industry. Carbon footprint, end-of-life strategies, regulation, local engagement and supply chains remain as some of the main challenges that we all face, which are crucial aspects to ensure the long-term sustainability of the solar sector.
Sustainable Solar Europe is a distinguished event within the solar and renewable energy sector that helps to engage with all industry stakeholders to progress, evolve and become more and more sustainable.
Header image: Sustainable Solar Europe event 12 December, 2024 © SolarPower Europe
Headshot: Mario Quintana Aroca, ESG Manager Europe, Jinko Solar © Jinko Solar
