Suntech Recognized by Murphy&Spitz for 'Unrivalled' Commitment to Sustainability

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland and WUXI, China, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), the world's largest producer of solar panels, was recently honored with the "Global Leader Award 2011" from Murphy&Spitz, designed to recognize sustainable companies for exceptional environmental, health and safety (EH&S) practices. The recognition coincides with Suntech becoming one of the first global solar companies to achieve both OHSAS18001 and SA8000 certifications, two respected occupational health and social accountability standards. Suntech also implements an Environmental Management System, which was certified according to the ISO14001 standard in April 2006.

"We're grateful for confirmation from this independent third party that we're on the right track, and it increases our resolve to further raise the standard," said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's chairman and CEO. "The solar industry is about the world using technology to provide clean, sustainable energy without sacrificing our environment. In doing so, we must be aware of our responsibilities to our staff, our community and the sustainability of our manufacturing operations."

In late 2010, representatives from Murphy&Spitz, one of the most experienced sustainability investment firms in Germany, reviewed Suntech's EH&S management systems as well as those of other solar industry manufacturers around the world. The recently-released research report, Sustainability and Social Responsibility of the Photovoltaic Industry, outlines global solar industry standards and identifies opportunities for improvement in sustainability practices.

The comprehensive report praised Suntech's EH&S practices and transparency: "The manner of presentation and transparency is unrivalled in comparison to the other companies we took under review. The structure is similar to 'best practice' examples of other industries and shows a strategic interest. The employees entrusted with environmental and occupational tasks have a high level of qualification and possess international experience in their area. Our visit at Suntech revealed high standards for occupational health and safety, environmental protection and social aspects."

Coinciding with the award, Suntech recently received certifications for OHSAS18001, the internationally recognized occupational health and safety standard, and SA8000, a global social accountability standard for decent working conditions. Both international standards provide authoritative benchmarks for measuring and improving EH&S practices. In particular, the SA8000 standard, based on the Conventions of the International Labour Organisation and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, considers a range of topics including working hours and conditions, equal-opportunity provisions, compensation and management practices.

For information on the Murphy&Spitz industry report, please visit: http://www.murphyandspitz.de/

About Suntech

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is the world's largest producer of solar panels for residential, commercial, industrial, and utility applications. With regional headquarters in China, Switzerland, and the United States, and gigawatt-scale manufacturing worldwide, Suntech has delivered more than 13,000,000 photovoltaic panels to over a thousand customers in more than eighty countries. Suntech's pioneering R&D creates customer-centric innovations that are driving solar to grid parity against fossil fuels. Suntech's mission is to provide everyone with reliable access to nature's cleanest and most abundant energy source. Further information is available at: www.suntech-power.com

About Murphy&Spitz

Murphy&Spitz was founded in 1999 and is one of the most experienced sustainability investors in the German speaking area. Murphy&Spitz manages four sustainability portfolios, the listed private equity company Murphy&Spitz Green Capital AG (A0KPM6) and the renewable energy independent power producer Murphy&Spitz Green Energy. Murphy&Spitz is one of the few experts in German speaking countries relying on the expertise of an in-house research with a focus on sustainability aspects.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements and includes the ability of Suntech to raise the occupational health and social accountability standard and the ability of the solar industry to provide clean, sustainable energy without sacrificing the environment. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Suntech's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Suntech does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.