copper

The European Copper Institute (ECI) and the International Copper Association (ICA) held a successful breakfast workshop in Brussels to discuss the key role of life cycle data in achieving a shift toward a more sustainable world on 31 January 2018.

Highlighting recent industry efforts in this field, including key new pieces of data on LCA and LCI, the workshop demonstrated the strong sustainability profile of copper and its essential role in capturing the opportunities of the energy transition. In addition, the session opened a dialogue with European policymakers, industry representatives and academia about how to collaborate further. More than 30 people attended the event, including several Copper Alliance members, six European Commission representatives, three EU permanent representatives, and members of academia.

Bernard Respaut, Chief Executive of the European Copper Institute, served as moderator for the day. He stressed copper’s significant role in the transition to a low-carbon economy and highlighted efforts of the copper industry in this field, such as the recently launched Copper Environmental Profile and the annual publication of the copper industry’s Stocks and Flows Data and Sustainable Indicators.

ICA’s Director on Health, Environment & Sustainable Development, Andrea Vaccari, followed, outlining the copper industry’s commitment to sustainability and reminding the audience that partnerships between industry, academia and governments are essential for the advancement of global thinking on environment and sustainability. She stressed that sharing relevant and timely data to enable analysis and serve as a foundation for life cycle thinking is critical to a rapid transition.

Panelist Michele Galatola, Product Team Leader at DG Environment in the European Commission, welcomed the copper industry’s involvement to date and its close cooperation with policymakers, in particular the active participation in the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) initiative, a pilot project aiming to set rules at EU level on how to measure and better compare the life cycle environmental performance of products. According to Galatola, the recent publication of the Copper Environmental Profile marks the beginning of a “long but absolutely necessary journey.”

Dr. Jörn Mühlenfeld, Environmental Manager at Aurubis, provided an overview of his company’s activities, highlighting Aurubis’s increasing ability to close the loop on difficult to recycle items such as smart phones. For Aurubis and others, life cycle data is crucial to making informed decisions about impact and to identifying areas for future improvement, e.g., in product design.

Also part of the panel, Prof. Dr. Sonia Valdivia, Programme Manager at the World Resources Forum, focused on the key role of Chile and Peru in global copper production. She added that recycling of metals, including copper, is not just happening in developed countries but also in developing countries. Due to rather weak enforcement rules, more than 90 percent of this recycling is currently done informally, an issue the World Resources Forum is working to tackle. She joined the call for more transparency and underlined the need to “track, record and link information” and have openly available interoperable data.

A lively discussion followed the formal presentations on topics ranging from circular economy to green metals.

Available resources

Copper Environmental Profile (LCA)

Stocks and Flows

Long-term Availability of Copper

Workshop presentations:

• Andrea Vaccari_International Copper Association
• Jörn Mühlenfeld_Aurubis
• Michele Galatola_European Commission
• Sonia Valdivia_World Resources Forum

The International Copper Association (ICA) is the leading organization for promoting the use of copper worldwide. Its mission is to bring together the global copper industry to develop and defend markets for copper and to make a positive contribution to society’s sustainable development goals.

ICA’s 39 member companies represent the majority of the world’s refined copper output and are among the largest copper producers, fabricators, and wire and cable
companies in the world.

As part of its commitment to Sustainable Development, the copper industry is committed to providing data and information to enable users of copper to evaluate its impacts and benefits across the life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of life recycling.

This environmental profile summarizes the results of the International Copper Association’s Copper Cathode Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The profile was developed to provide information and life cycle data from the mining stage to copper production to actors along the copper value chain. A more detailed dataset can also be obtained upon request to help downstream users of copper understand the environmental impacts of their products when conducting their own LCA studies.

Download Profile.

The BMW Group and the Chilean copper mining company Codelco have signed an agreement to cooperate on a sustainable and transparent supply of copper. From the mining of the metal to installation in the automobile, Codelco and the BMW Group will form the start and end point in the copper supply chain and thus create the preconditions for new standards in sustainable copper processing.

“Copper is and remains a very important raw material in the automotive industry. Therefore, we are very pleased to have the opportunity together with Codelco to be able to advocate sustainable standards in the copper supply chain. From the BMW Group’s viewpoint, this is a further significant milestone in our strategy for sustainability in the supply chain,” says Thomas Thym, head of BMW Group Strategy, Purchasing and Supplier Network.

“We appreciate the importance of working together with BMW Group’s value chain and believe that this agreement will be a powerful driver for Codelco and the mining industry to continue to strengthen our social license to operate. It is an inspiration to advance towards a future in which our products will be valued not only for their intrinsic mineral qualities, but also for a production process that promotes environmental protection, gender equality, the generation of shared value, ethical business practices, transparency, fairness and local job creation, among others”, says Patricio Chávez, Codelco Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability.

The aim of the Responsible Copper Initiative is to achieve a commitment to ecological and social responsibility in the copper industry. Further objectives of the cooperation are the development of core indicators, which measure advancements in sustainability activities, as well as a productive collaboration with stakeholders – including NGOs and regulating authorities. In this way, faith in our copper products is to be strengthened.

In the agreement, Codelco confirms its leadership in the introduction of the Responsible Copper Initiative according to ISEAL guidelines. This includes the promotion and coordination of the global copper industry (from mining to manufacture and processing) as well as other stakeholders such as associations, NGOs, producers and end users in the Responsible Copper Initiative. Within the framework of the Responsible Copper Initiative, Codelco will ensure that the developed standards and tools meet the demands of end users and the BMW Group.

In 2017, the BMW Group purchased 42,000 tons of copper with a value of more than 200 million Euros. As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric vehicles the BMW Group will be offering 25 electrified models in 2025. The company’s copper demand will have increased by 20,000 additional tons by this time. This shows that copper will play an even greater role in the future. Therefore, it is of crucial importance that the BMW Group secure a sustainable supply chain for electric mobility, including raw materials.

For the BMW Group, the establishment of the “Responsible Copper Initiative” is a further step towards transparency in the supply chain: The BMW Group is a founding member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, supporter of the Responsible Steel Initiative and a member of the Responsible Cobalt Initiative.

See original article here.

A fundamental piece of our sustainable future is already powering nearly every aspect of our lives. From the batteries in our electronics to the air conditioners cooling us off in the summer to solar panels providing renewable energy, copper is the lifeblood of our modern lives.

Copper is also essential to the innovations needed to combat the environmental challenges we face today, including climate change.

We know we will need more of just about everything that runs on copper as the world progresses toward reducing poverty. As millions are elevated into the middle class, the demand for air conditioning, refrigeration, consumer electronics, transportation and other staples of modern life will continue to increase.

Copper is already an essential ingredient in our most innovative technologies such as smart energy technology, aquaculture, space exploration and electric cars, so it is important to recognize that a low-carbon future requires more copper. Copper’s role in electromobility, energy efficiency and renewable energy is growing. McKinsey has estimated a 43 percent potential increase in copper demand by 2035 vs. today’s demand of 22 million tonnes.

The world will need to prepare to meet these increasing demands without jeopardizing the environment.

Source: Copper Applications Technology Roadmap (January 2017)

How can copper help to limit global warming and contribute to a brighter future?

Copper drives energy efficiency. Reducing the amount of energy required to provide products and services is the most cost-efficient, large scale opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. Copper is the most efficient conductor of electricity and heating and cooling. Over their lifetimes, electrical systems containing one tonne of copper will emit between 100 and 7,500 fewer tonnes of CO₂.

It can be re-used over and over again. Copper is 100 percent recyclable and never loses any of its properties. Every year, 8.5 million tonnes of copper are recycled. It can be recycled into diverse uses and objects after everyday products like cables and wires reach the end of their life. In fact, over a third of the copper used in the past decade came from recycled sources.

It puts the green in “green tech.” Emerging green technologies can help us combat climate change and reduce air pollution. Copper is essential in improving the performance of green technologies. It is already the key to renewable energy resources such as wind and solar, and future efforts are dependent upon copper.

There is a stable and plentiful supply. Copper is abundant with 720 million tonnes in known reserves according to USGS (2017). It is also key for the recycling of numerous other minerals like silver, gold and nickel. It is estimated that two-thirds of the 550 million tonnes of copper produced since 1900 is still in productive use (Glöser, 2013).

Source: McKinsey Global Institute. Beyond the Supercycle: How technology is reshaping resources. February 2017.

What is the copper industry doing to encourage innovation?

The copper industry is conscious of both its responsibilities for sustainable production and the enormous opportunities offered by a more prosperous and low-carbon future. We are also keenly aware that we need to “walk the walk.”

We are contributing to growth in communities. We recently completed a survey of 26 members representing 40 percent of world copper demand. These member organizations employ more than 300,000 people and are providing many local communities with schools, healthcare and water. Remote towns and communities that would otherwise vanish in the tsunami of urbanization depend on our members for their health and well-being. Our surveyed members invest $380 million in local communities each year.

We are driving sustainable production that protects the environment. We understand that the production activities driving growth in communities need to be water wise and energy efficient to minimize our impact on the environment and ensure a safe workplace. Future generations will not just judge us on what we produce but also on what we preserve.

In Europe, our members have reduced their energy consumption by 60 percent since 1990. Our members reported increasing their water recycling rate by nearly 70 percent over the past five years. Each year, our surveyed members invest more than $20 billion USD in improving the environmental and safety performance of their operations.

• Back in 2013, our member company Codelco installed a thermosolar plant at its Gabriela Mistral mine to generate an average of 54,000MWh/y and provide 85 percent of the power needed for its SX-EW copper plant. The installation has reduced the mine’s CO₂ emissions by 15,000t/y. In 2017, Codelco promised to produce sustainable copper cathode over the next few years.
• Rio Tinto, another global member, reduced its GHG emissions intensity by 20.3 percent from 2008 to 2015, exceeding its set 10 percent target. By the end of 2016, the company had reduced its GHG emissions intensity by 26 percent.

We are an industry that endorses accountability. This includes publishing all relevant sustainability data and adhering to Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and similar initiatives.

We are investing in our low-carbon future. The industry continues to invest in new innovations to discover new ways copper can be used to reduce energy use. We work with governments across the globe to promote Best Available Technology and introduce standards for energy efficiency together with the UN as part of United for Efficiency (U4E).

As industry leaders, we must work together with policy makers to ensure we contribute to innovations meeting the increased demand for clean water, food, low-carbon electricity and clean air while combatting climate change and protecting the environment.

2017 has been quite the year for the copper industry around the world. As we look forward to 2018, we will be watching these top five key industry trends.

1. ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET DRIVES COPPER DEMAND

With several new electric vehicle (EV) cars hitting the market, 2018 may be the tipping point for EVs.

Ten countries are leading the way and hosting 95% of the EV market. In order of market share, these world leaders are China, the U.S., Norway, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Canada.[1] Thanks to improvements in technology, affordability, and the deployment of more electric chargers, one in every six cars are expected to be electric by 2025.[2]

EV technology is heavily reliant on copper, and copper demand for EVs is expected to increase from 185,000 tonnes in 2017, to 1.74 million tonnes in 2027.[3] EV manufacturing requires copper for multiple key components, such as batteries, motors, charging stations, and supporting infrastructures.

The more advanced the EV technology becomes, the more copper is required.[4] Internal combustion engines typically use 23 kg of copper, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) use 40 kg of copper, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) use 60 kg of copper, and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) use 83 kg of copper![5]

2. BURGEONING WATER CRISIS

The global water crisis affects people all over the world. Some areas face droughts, others flood, and many communities lack access to clean and drinkable water. These problems are worsening due to increased demand, the growing effects of climate change, and a lack of efficient water infrastructure. In many areas affected by the crisis, the complex system of pipes, treatment plants, and sewer systems required to transport, treat, and discharge water is in poor condition or entirely non-existent.[6]

As water resources and natural water infrastructure continue to be depleted, it is becoming that much more important to find a viable solution. This is where copper comes in. As a durable, reliable, and long-lasting metal, copper is particularly useful in the construction of water pipe infrastructure. It is also impermeable and prevents contaminants such as petroleum, insecticides, and fertilizers from polluting the water system.[7] Unlike lead, copper is also corrosion-resistant, and is a necessary nutrient for human life and development.[8]

Many cities across the United States and Canada are already beginning the process of replacing lead pipes with copper ones.[9] The success of copper water infrastructure in places like Toronto, Montreal, Milwaukee, and Flint, Michigan is proof that this valuable metal can help bring clean water resources to communities in need around the world.

3. THE FUTURE IS ELECTRIC

According to the recently published World Energy Outlook 2017 by the International Energy Agency (IEA), growing electrification implies that electricity is going to sectors previously confined to fuels, including vehicles, heating and cooling systems.

The global demand for electricity is set to grow as rising incomes enable millions of households to use electrical appliances and cooling systems.[10] Progress in India and Indonesia has been particularly impressive, and in sub-Saharan Africa electrification efforts outpaced population growth for the first time in 2014.[11]

Electricity requires a great deal of copper for production, distribution, and transmission. Copper is an excellent electrical conductor and operates well at higher temperatures to help electrical systems connect to the larger grid.

4. RENEWABLE ENERGY GAINS MOMENTUM

Global electricity generation from wind and solar was 23 percent in 2015, and thanks to increases in wind- and solar-generating capacity, that number is expected to grow to 30 percent by 2020.[12]

A strong appetite for renewable energy sources remains at the global level. From wind turbines to solar panels, copper is a critical component of renewable energy technologies.

Wind turbines use copper for grounding wires, power cables, transformers, inverters, lightning protection, and as part of generators and control systems.[13] A single wind farm can contain 4–15 million pounds of copper![14]

Copper is also a key component of solar energy systems, increasing the e­fficiency, reliability, and performance of photovoltaic cells and modules. Copper’s superior electrical and thermal conductivity are vital in the collection, storage, and distribution of solar energy.[15]

5. RISE OF RESILIENT BUILDINGS

The global building sector currently makes up around 30 percent of final energy use, and its energy savings potential is significant.[16]

As the demand for more sustainable building options increases, green construction has become increasingly profitable and desirable within the global construction market.

China is making particularly strong efforts to increase building sustainability. As part of the country’s thirteenth “Five Year Plan for Building Energy Efficiency and Green Building Development,” 50 percent of all new urban buildings will be required to be certified green buildings. Already over 90 percent of China’s commercial building owners plan to have at least one net-zero or near-net-zero energy building in the next ten years.[17]

The European Union also continues its efforts in this field. Reducing the energy demand of buildings is critical to delivering on the EU’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and is a key focus in the Clean Energy Package.

The applications of copper in building construction are nearly endless. Some of the uses include roof and wall cladding, flashing, gutters and downspouts, wiring, plumbing, heating systems, ventilation, and design elements.

Copper is highly durable and does not need to be replaced over the life of the building. Other benefits to copper as a building material include corrosion- and oxidation-resistance, low maintenance costs, lightweight, and antimicrobial properties.