Sungrow
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Chinese maker of solar inverters and battery storage, based in Hefei.
There's no proof Sungrow pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and battery metals it can't trace to the mine. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in China, Malaysia and South Korea, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Traces the silicon in its panels to the smelter or quartz mine, outside Xinjiang (for batteries and inverters: traces its battery metals to the mine)
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Relies on battery metals it can't trace to the mineShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Sungrow names some of the countries it makes in: China. The rest is shown as where solar panels and batteries are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: battery cells and inverters rely on cobalt, lithium, graphite and nickel from mines and refineries linked to child and forced labour in DR Congo, Indonesia and Xinjiang.
- Sells no crystalline-silicon solar panels (batteries, inverters or thin-film panels only)
- Relies on cobalt, lithium, graphite and nickel from mines and refineries linked to child and forced labour in DR Congo, Indonesia and Xinjiang. It hasn't shown any steps to trace the metals in its batteries to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Sungrow's distribution brochure names one production site, in Hefei, China, where it says all product lines are made; trade press also lists plants in Bengaluru, India and Chonburi, Thailand, and a Polish plant announced in February 2026. It names no cell suppliers for its batteries, publishes no supplier list, no smelter or refiner list for battery metals, no audit results and no Australian modern slavery statement. No labour abuses involving Sungrow or its suppliers were found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No modern slavery statement from Sungrow is on the Australian register (checked November 2026). View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Sungrow is not on the US forced labour (UFLPA) Entity List (checked November 2026). View |
| Solar Stewardship Initiative certified sites | Not listed | Sungrow has no site on the Solar Stewardship Initiative's list of certified sites (checked November 2026). View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Solar Stewardship Initiative certified sites · search the archive · Sungrow not among certified sites
- Australian Modern Slavery Register search: Sungrow · search the archive · No statements found
- UFLPA Entity List (US Department of Homeland Security) · search the archive · Sungrow not listed
- Sungrow to open PV inverter, ESS manufacturing plant in Poland (PV Tech, 2026) · search the archive · Existing hubs in Hefei, Bengaluru and Chonburi; Wałbrzych, Poland plant announced 6 February 2026
Published by Sungrow or its owner
- Brochure: We are Sungrow, distribution (Sungrow, 2024) · search the archive · Production site in Hefei, China; all product lines made there; no supplier ESG or audit information
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Sungrow ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/sungrow, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other inverters brands
Nothing we've rated in inverters is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Sungrow.