Corporate social responsibility has been a major issue ever since the invention of the corporation and free market economics. From worker rights to civil rights and on to sustainability, there has ever been a battle to push social responsibility to the top of corporate priority lists. Now, in the midst of financial and environmental crises, the solar industry is peaking. While already-huge corporations such as Shell, Sharp, and BP are horizontally integrated leaders in the energy world, strictly solar companies such as First Solar and Evergreen Solar in the U.S. are up and coming fast themselves.

So how do they rank in terms of social responsibility? What is their “social footprint,” so to speak?

Solar is an inherently sustainable business, so not many questions get asked. We assume that any company pushing solar energy has our best interests in mind. For now, I wager, they do. Certainly they prioritize sustainability very high on their list. That includes the complete life cycle of their products. First Solar and Sharp Solar are just two examples of companies that claim full responsibility for their products – from manufacturing to recycling.

I am, however, somewhat skeptical of big oil companies that have integrated into the solar industry. On one hand, they claim record oil profits and subsidies while consumers suffer, on the other they press for environmental responsibility and change.

Still, social responsibility is not just about environmental policy. It is also about community, workers, and equality. How do solar companies prioritize this side of social responsibility?

Again, on the whole I believe solar companies are very competitive in this respect. Many offer high wages and extensive benefit packages, with employees representing the entire global spectrum. Yet the key question here is why?

The corporate history of the United States overwhelmingly attests to the fact that corporations typically offer little in terms of social responsibility without either regulation or the need to compete for quality employees. I’m not saying that every corporation or business is a reluctant participant in the well-being of their employees and supporters. But nonetheless, what is driving this new push toward social responsibility and the redefinition of the corporate model is society – that is the public itself.

It is consumers “speaking with their wallets,” employees pressing for work with responsible companies, and the leadership of a few, progressive and highly successful corporations such as Google. And what is the result? Suddenly Wal-mart, GM, and several other companies are going solar. Suddenly, how a company treats its employees or where its products are made DOES matter.

Again, this is all creditable to the American taxpayer, the American voter. Some believe that wealth and prosperity will “trickle down.” I believe that change and social responsibility can only “trickle up.” So yes, solar companies do hold social responsibility as a top priority and they will continue to do so… through record profits, record losses, buyouts, mergers, recessions, bull and bear markets, and all the other ups and downs of capitalism. They will continue to hold social responsibility high, so long as consumers, employees, and the leaders we elect continue to do the same.

Posted on November 25th in Solar Information by Dan.