“Renewables are exacerbating modern slavery — how businesses can act”

…When Mahendra Pandey was a teenager, he traveled from his home country of Nepal to Saudi Arabia for work. He said his passport was confiscated upon arrival…20 years later, Pandey works as senior manager of forced labor and human trafficking at Humanity United…

…our solutions to the crisis can also raise the risk of modern slavery, according to a recent report by the international human rights group, Walk Free…

The Walk Free analysis, the fifth Global Slavery Index the group has published, suggests that G20 countries are importing $14.8 billion in solar panels that may have been made with forced labor…

Many renewable energy businesses have published anti-modern slavery policies that stipulate no tolerance for forced labor…

…Ripple Energy says on its website that it is "fully committed" to preventing slavery and human trafficking in its supply chain…

…Tesla, which did not respond to requests for comments, has published a policy showcasing "zero tolerance approach to modern slavery."…

Several other solar power and electric vehicle companies did not respond to requests for more details about how they enforce their anti-modern slavery policies…