On April 6, 2025, GCL Technology (03800.HK) announced that its average cash cost for polysilicon in Q1 2025 fell to ¥27.07/kg, maintaining its global leadership in cost control. Even more notable, the company’s carbon footprint indicators achieved a historic breakthrough, once again setting the lowest record in the industry.

According to the latest disclosure, GCL’s Baotou production base received ADEME certification from France’s Environment and Energy Management Agency in February, with its polysilicon carbon footprint dropping to 14.441 kgCO₂e/kg. Compared with the 24.913 kgCO₂e/kg certified at the Leshan base in August 2024, this represents a 42% reduction, highlighting GCL’s continuous innovation in low-carbon technology.

As the “green heart” of the PV supply chain, the carbon emissions at the polysilicon stage directly determine the industry-wide low-carbon competitiveness. GCL’s proprietary fluidized bed polysilicon process delivers low energy consumption and high efficiency, significantly outperforming traditional rod-based silicon production. Its unique technology avoids crushing and minimizes electricity usage, achieving a revolution in upstream energy efficiency.

Tracing its journey, GCL first broke the global record in 2021 with 37.000 kgCO₂e/kg, surpassing Wacker, and earned the industry’s first ADEME carbon footprint certification. Today, the Baotou base represents a “triple leap” in carbon reduction, raising the global low-carbon standard for photovoltaic materials.

This achievement carries strategic significance: it strengthens GCL’s dual competitive advantage of low carbon and low cost, and provides critical support for China’s PV industry in global green markets. Against the backdrop of the Ministry of Commerce’s January 2025 “Low-Carbon Evaluation Requirements for PV Module Exports” (threshold: 415 kgCO₂e/kWp), GCL polysilicon’s technical leadership is transforming into green growth momentum.

Analysts note that with the global energy transition accelerating, the PV industry is entering a “low-carbon pricing power” era. Through continuous technological iteration, GCL is building a low-carbon competitive edge across the supply chain, driving China’s PV industry from “manufacturing exports” to “standards exports”, and establishing a clear “China benchmark” on the global renewable energy stage.