Supplier sustainability

Clearway’s suppliers are required to comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct to ensure adherence to the company’s standards on a safe, fair and respectful workplace, a positive work environment free of harassment, bullying and intimidation, an ethical business culture, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We expressly require that suppliers respect the basic human rights of employees, and do not force employees to work against their will. All work performed for suppliers must be voluntary, and workers shall be free to leave work at any time or terminate their employment. Forced, involuntary prison labor, slavery or trafficking of persons is prohibited.

To safeguard our compliance with legislation and regulations related to forced labor such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), Clearway has a two-step verification process to ensure that our solar suppliers are not using any forced labor or sourcing from locations that use forced labor.

Clearway’s supply chain strategy is guided by our internal Technology & Cost Roadmap, a 5-year forecast of cost and technology trends and summary of market trends, risks, and opportunities that are maintained and updated twice a year by the Engineering & Strategic Procurement team. The roadmap is informed by semi-annual business reviews with our top-tier suppliers and EPCs, performance data and feedback from our fleet of operating solar, wind and battery projects; 3rd party publications, conferences, and deep industry relationships, experience, and knowledge.

Major equipment deployment decisions are also influenced and overseen by our Technology & Quality Review(TQR) board, which draws on the expertise of leaders across our risk, finance, O&M, engineering, and procurement teams, among others to evaluate new equipment technology and maintain Clearway’s Approved Vendors List. The TQR evaluates and approves new technology and product suppliers based on an internal assessment of the product, the supplier’s financial strength, independent engineering reports, and third-party testing.

In 2021, Clearway launched the LEADS policy to promote purchasing from local, environmentally aware, diverse, and small businesses with the objectives of increasing the sustainability of our purchasing process and reducing the environmental impacts within our supply chain.