1. Water resource management
In response to China's water-saving policy, LONGi adopts a water-saving principle of "environmental compliance, water-saving first, economical discharge and scientific governance". We raise water-saving awareness among all employees, reduce water consumption while ensuring compliant discharge, dial down water consumption per unit product, with higher recycling water reused ratio and reuse rate of sewage. On the basis of water conservation and governance researches, LONGi introduces advanced technology and equipment to further upgrade water-saving facilities and science-based water utilization. We continue targeted and law-based pollution control to ensure compliant discharge.
2. Chemical Use
LONGi practices strict examination on introduced chemicals from the source side, and make sure the use of chemicals is compliant with national laws and regulations as well as project EIA requirements. Under the same process condition, we choose less hazardous and dangerous chemicals over riskier ones. For chemicals in use, we impose process monitoring, reduce consumption and emissions, ease the pressure on back-end waste treatment facilities, and meet the discharge standards.
3. Waste Gas Management
In LONGi, industrial waste gases are collected and treated by the category, and emitted up to standards, in strict accordance with laws and regulations. LONGi collects all possible waste gases by the quality level, improves the capturing rate, and eliminates unplanned emissions by including them into plans. Different kinds of waste gases with different concentrations are collected and treated separately, with the subsequent emissions meeting the limit of air pollutants and relevant standards. In addition, LONGi keeps upgrading production processes from the beginning to dial down industrial waste gases.
4. Solid Waste Management
In LONGi, solid wastes are collected, stored, treated by the category, in strict accordance with laws and regulations. Hazardous wastes are managed across the full process and life cycle, from the beginning to in-plant transport, on-site storage, and to outsourced disposal. We make sure all hazardous wastes are disposed in a law-based manner and become harmless with no adverse impact on the environment. Meanwhile, LONGi has prepared a hazardous waste reduction plan that aims for less hazardous wastes. It advocates reuse of recyclable hazardous wastes, for example, empty chemical containers could be reused by original manufacturers. Reusable general solid wastes can also be put into use. LONGi ensures that all solid wastes are disposed according to laws.
5. Environmental Impact of Products
Guided by the life-cycle management of products, LONGi takes environmental impact into consideration in all product stages, like manufacturing, application, and discharge. It injects eco-friendliness in product design, uses green, environmental, safe and degradable raw materials, eliminates chemicals in the manufacturing process, and continuously improves product performance and service life. LONGi carries out life cycle analysis and carbon footprint research for key products. At present, its main products have obtained the "Statement on Product Carbon Footprint". LONGi promises to win relevant certificates for products and evaluate the conformity in environment and quality as part of resources and energy, so as to have an overall assessment of the environmental impact.
6. Environmental Impact of End-of-Life Products
LONGi is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of end-of-life products. We take EOL treatment into consideration at the product design stage, prioritize recyclable and degradable raw materials, advocate waste-free design and recyclable packaging design, and use less chemicals in the manufacturing process. In practice stage, we maximize the recycling of scrapped products in a compliant and environmental manner.
With low-carbon, environmental protection and sustainable development in mind, LONGi has been innovating the bill of materials for modules. Through research and development, LONGi decided to use fluorine-free backsheets on a large scale, the first in the industry. We have also reserved many environmental advanced materials through continuous researches.
In 2021, LONGi joined the "PV Recycle Industry Development Center" sponsored by China ECOPV Alliance, and worked with relevant enterprises and institutes to explore PV products recycling technologies and policy proposals. In March 2023, LONGi joined the "PV Module Recycling Working Group" led by China Photovoltaic Industry Association and discussed with relevant institutions and enterprises about PV products recycling technologies and policy mechanisms, promoting the recycling of PV modules, and helping the technological progress and industrial development of module recycling.
7. Consumer Health and Safety
All LONGi products shall meet local laws and regulations on environmental protection, health and safety. In the product design phase, IEC61730 and UL61730 PV module safety standards are adopted to appraise product safety risks such as electric shock and fire and to identify potential health and safety risks of products. LONGi is devoted to minimizing hazardous substances to human body. Upon the delivery, LONGi provides customers with sufficient EHS information to ensure customer safety with the products.
LONGi regularly collects customer complaints and actively responds to their requirements in environment, health and safety. LONGi has established a solid customer follow-up mechanism, regularly following up customers through phone call, questionnaire, email or field visit to learn whether there are EHS problems with products. It has also established a sound customer complaint response mechanism, which sort the complaints into different types and levels for analysis, timely solution and execution for closed-loop of client issues. LONGi fully identifies how its products impact customer health and safety, prepares and continuously updates the PV Module Installation Manual and other user manuals. They start from routine safety, operational safety, electrical performance safety and fire safety to illustrate safety and health points in product use and maintenance, so as to guide customers to avoid safety and health risks.