His hope was, he said, that the panels industry would be able to distinguish between changes for the good and the bad and use the former to its advantage, but he added that some developments were beyond the trade’s immediate control.
“I was advised that China would become an important issue during my term of office – that must have been the understatement of a lifetime,” he said.
“We should not shy away from the difficulties this new source of supply brings, but collectively work to ensure the production is to the correct technical standards we require and as demanded of all our other supplying regions, and that the raw material can be correctly identified and is both legal and sustainable.”
Mr Pace added that the trade should be prepared for more stakeholders taking an active interest in its business: “It is in our own interests and of our trading partners to listen and act where appropriate.”
Mr Pace also had a word of advice for environmental NGOs. “Certification bodies should be expected to act impartially and be treated evenly by all interested parties,” he said.
“We should push accreditation bodies and NGOs and other stakeholders to ensure they understand the practicalities – and follow their own guidelines. If their true wish is to improve the planet they should all learn to work with each other rather than argue for individual political advantage.”
The trade itself should be more active in self-policing, Mr Pace said. “We hear of companies within our industry that do not buy responsibly… but instead of just complaining, we should be prepared to supply the evidence and act. It is our business that is being affected, therefore we should be prepared to stand up and ensure it is defended.”
