The Sustainability of Copper

What are the hard facts?

 Today, everyone is conscious of sustainability, and responsible governments, trade organisations, companies and individuals try to ensure that the way that they act, buy, consume and discard is good for the planet and not just designed to meet their own selfish ends.

You will therefore be glad to know that copper is a very sustainable material.
  1. It is estimated that, of the approximate 550 million tonnes of copper produced since 1900, two-thirds are still in productive use today.
  2. Copper is 100% recyclable.
  3. Copper retains its chemical and physical properties when it is recycled.
  4. More than 30% of the world’s annual copper demand is met through recycling.
  5. Products made with copper operate more efficiently because copper is the best conductor of heat and electricity in the non-precious metals.
  6. Whilst 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted for every tonne of copper produced, because of copper’s high efficiency, each tonne produced reduces emissions by between 100 and 7,500 tonnes. Copper therefore compensates for its own production by a factor of up to 1,500!! Bottom line: by 2030, copper has the potential to reduce the world’s carbon footprint by 16%!
  7. The copper industry actively works to protect the environment by monitoring air, soil and water quality in the vicinity of mining operations, as well as utilising innovative processes and techniques to minimise emissions and environmental impact.
  8. Copper-based applications, from smart and secure grids to underground cabling, increase infrastructure resilience, protect against natural disasters and guard against man-made attacks, thereby supporting governments’, businesses’ and societies’ efficiency and sustainability goals.
Proud to be part of a sustainable industry, at Advanced Alloys, we ensure that our processes, distribution and culture align as closely as possible with the environmental aims described above.

We hope that you found this blog useful. If you have any questions at all about any issue raised here – or indeed anything to do with copper, its alloys and their sustainability and use – please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you!



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