Before we begin

Before we

begin

Manuella Appiah (ESG Manager) & Johannes Duijzer (Chief Executive Officer)

Better and

Better Together:

Sunrock’s ESG Manager and CEO walk us through the actions and impact of 2023.

DIT. What? In the veritable sea of ESG acronyms, we could easily add another - Do It Together (DIT) - to summarise Sunrock's 2023 approach to ESG. We talked to Manuella Appiah (ESG Manager) and Johannes Duijzer (CEO) about their reflections and findings. Together.

“Better and better” We already did rather well in ’22. Regret having this as our ESG principle?

Johannes:
"We are continuously improving our processes and performances. Taking it to the next level. In ’22 we were learning, doing research, results weren’t always visible yet. This year, we made progress in every way. And with every step we take, new opportunities arise. Especially since we decided to aim for full transparency in our supply chain. Better and better is astronomically ambitious, in a good sense. We keep on changing, optimizing, moving forward."

Manuella:
“Better and better also means: one step at a time. However small it may seem, we’ll get there. We have come to realize that with the growth of our business also our supply chain has become huge, complex and in some ways very problematic. We kept asking ourselves: but what can we do now? That turned out to be: involve our Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) partners. Without them the level of visibility we aim for would be impossible. And they were really happy we approached them. They also could not do this alone. We encouraged them to take their first concrete actions. Keep it simple and practical. And practice openness. Share your own milestones and learn from others."

Johannes:
"Wonderfully put!!!! At Sunrock, ’doing good’ has always been one of our core values. There is obviously a lot one can say against that. There are so many things that are ’off’, also in our well-meaning industry. The danger in that is to give up. Or worse: not even start. That is why I love the fact that we translated ’doing good’ into our ESG mission ’better and better’. It contains the ideals of never giving up. Indeed, we’re not perfect. Not today, not tomorrow. But if we take this step by step, we will show improvement. It might not be perfect, but it will be better. Our suppliers share this sense of honesty with us."

Manuella:
"I agree. We need to be willing to fully understand what we can and cannot achieve, or where barriers are. Of what is right and what is not.

Isn’t that what Sunrock has been about from the very start? Togetherness. Modesty. We are the biggest never-heard-of company of Europe, one could state.

To enable us to improve and find solutions to be better. In 2023 we organized our first third party ESG audit. We wanted to know about the working conditions of the migrant workers who build our solar parks.
Together with our partners we went to every length to learn about the workforce on our rooftops. Who is responsible for them? We discovered that a lot of small companies, subcontractors, were involved. Some of them we didn’t even know. What if something went wrong? That information was also valuable to us business wise. Our EPC partners embraced this audit and said: we should have done this sooner. We will build from here. How great is that! Not to be pointing fingers but striving for shared growth and success."

Johannes:

"ESG is entangled in everything we do and how we do it. For example: we wondered how we could set new standards for our projects. The choice of materials, the circularity of components. There is room for improvement there. Our partners directly responded: we have got ideas on that! The fact that we do not just put the ESG responsibility on our suppliers, and actually collaborate more closely when things don't go as expected creates room for sharing, for cooperating, for helping each other out. We all benefit from that. Another aspect is the longevity thinking we practice. Sunrock has never strived for quick profit but always focused on building a long-term sustainable business."

Manuella:
"For ESG we broadened our sense of ’network’. Even formal ’competitors’ are our allies when it comes to ESG. We were one of the first in the industry to audit migrant workers. There is now a large consortium of players in the market with whom we will work together on an industry standard to promote fair and decent working conditions at renewable project sites. By sharing with and involving our peers, we build our leverage and make the whole sector more socially responsible."

How much of the current willingness to work on ESG is based on the fact that it is more or less mandatory?

What will be the major ESG challenges after this year?

Manuella:

"Intrinsically, throughout our industry, everyone is dedicated to sustainability. Of course, a lot of the actions are compliance-driven. Not every company has the resources to go beyond compliance, which Sunrock believes ESG is really about. Larger companies appreciate us exploring the innovative approaches to ESG and learning from our experiences, whilst small companies reach out, for example, to use our templates and processes. The importance of ESG is never questioned. And we love to share."

Johannes:

"Our supply chain will remain priority. We have to face the issues at stake. Major topics like forced labor. How can we make sure we aren’t indirectly involved in problems like that? What can we do to make things better? Looking away is never the answer. No matter how complex the topic, by making it actionable, by just starting to take steps, there will be progress. That is where the ESG+ strategy which we kicked off in 2023 comes to mind and will continue to be implemented in 2024. It is inspiring in every way to see what we “can'' do and with whom. It generates creativity and positivity.”

Manuella:

"Again, we can only face those challenges together. In 2023 we defined our ESG long-term goals. We asked our 4 ESG workforces to make a longlist and together defined our top five targets. That too is co-creation. 2024 will be dedicated to implementing actions to realize these goals, for example those on circularity and the reduction of supply chain CO2 emissions.
A challenge I have set for myself is how to continue to tap into the commitment and eagerness of Sunrockers to make ESG our unique selling point. By valuing and using their brain power we reach great results. When other organizations hear how much ’fun’ we have here with ESG, they become curious. The funniest thing is, you just have to encourage and empower all employees to take responsibility for the topic. This saves a lot of external consultancy costs, and meanwhile increases our positive impact. We do everything ourselves, together, as a team. And it offers us a sense of purpose as well. The most valuable feeling there is."

How have you seen ESG being taken up across the different Sunrock departments?

Johannes:

"I believe that the organization is becoming more mature in integrating ESG across the board. From the legal department, to operations, project finance and asset management. ESG has drip-fed into all corners of the company. It is becoming business as usual.”

Manuella:

"True. For example, the topic of diversity and inclusion has become part of our People and Culture teams’ agenda. We have a target on diversity. Our recruiters see it as their responsibility to build diverse teams. When we are organizing events, the teams reach out to ask for input in making these more inclusive. It is top of mind. My goal has always been to make my role redundant, and I’m glad to see our company progressively heading in this direction, even if we are not there yet!"

Johannes:

"You most definitely are not redundant… It is actually because of your approach that things have turned out so well for ESG at Sunrock. You have always chosen the more difficult path of involving others.

It would have been way faster if you had done it by yourself. But then it would have been you and your ESG. You have invested in people, engagement, research and an operational setting that causes ESG to be structurally adopted and embraced by all."

Action towards our long term goals

Serve the equivalent of 2 million people with clean energy

692 GWh clean energy generated by the end of 2023 (43% more than 2022) , serving 497,000 people.

Accelerate the energy transition

Reduce in-house GHG emissions by 50% and supply chain by 20%

8% in-house emissions reduction, as compared to 2019/2020 baseline

Reduce our emissions

100% recycling of obsolete PV-system components, >30% re-used or upcycled

90 obsolete modules were sent for reuse and upcycling pilots

Circularity is key

100% transparent supply chains for our main solar park components to source

>40% employee count for under-represented genders and >25% ethnic diversity