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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

UK solar could be ‘dumping ground’ for products of Chinese forced labour, ministers warned

Worker checking solar panels
A power company employee checks the solar panels on the roof of a school in Hangzhou, China. Photograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

The UK risks becoming a dumping ground for the products of forced labour from Xinjiang province in China if it rejects reforms proposed by members of the foreign affairs select committee with cross-party support, ministers have been warned.

An amendment to the energy bill, due to be debated on Tuesday, would require solar energy companies to prove that their supply chains are free of slave labour. The Xinjiang region is the source of 35%-40% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon, the key raw material in the solar photovoltaic supply chain.

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