As Sunrock built out their just transition strategy, they saw that this work wouldn’t be possible without visibility into their supply chain and the ability to work collaboratively and openly on due diligence.
This transition will not be just if we don’t know which stakeholders are affected.
- Manuella Appiah, Environment, Social and Governance Manager
Knowing they were the first of their peers to do so, Sunrock turned to Open Supply Hub to disclose more and more of their supplier data as they gained visibility into more and more tiers of their operations. OS Hub provided a transparency tool with a low threshold to get started, that demonstrated their desire to truly be held accountable for their supply chain by making their data easy to find and use, and would provide additional value as more and more of their peers joined.
Being the first mover in a sector isn’t always easy, but Sunrock has benefited from positive recognition from internal and external stakeholders - from employees who feel proud that they work for a transparent company, to peers who see them as an industry leader, to their financial service providers, who are impressed with their progress. As they continue to build their due diligence practices, even this small step helps them to tell their transparency story, without risk of greenwashing or hushing.
Using OS Hub has also helped them to begin to map what had previously been an extremely opaque supply chain. By asking their suppliers to share their suppliers on OS Hub and introducing them to the platform, they are starting a conversation that could eventually lead to unearthing thousands of suppliers connected to their operations. To drive continuous momentum in these efforts, sharing data on OS Hub is now even a part of Sunrock’s supplier onboarding.
There is an underlying assumption that being a renewable energy company means you are sustainable - it creates a false assumption about the impact of your operations and value chain. The world is learning more and more that there is a shadow side to the energy transition; particularly with respect to the social and environmental impact of the supply chain of raw materials and components that must be addressed.
Transparency is the tool of identifying such impact. If you claim to be doing due diligence and advance human rights in your supply chain, the fear of risks should not dictate the level of information you disclose publicly. Trust that your stakeholders appreciate the transparency you are providing and that they will engage with you directly - helping to identify issues and room for improvement, and work collaboratively on solutions.
- Manuella Appiah, Environment, Social and Governance Manager
Founded in 2012, Sunrock has become the largest developer of solar roofs in the Netherlands and is now expanding rapidly across Europe.
