18 August 2015
It’s time
to adjust the sails
Global use of recycled copper fell from 8.5 million tonnes in 2013
to 8.3 million tonnes last year, Carlos Risopatron told Metal
Bulletin’s latest Copper Recycling Conference, held recently in
Barcelona. China’s scrap imports had dropped to a six-year low in
the first quarter of 2015, the director of economics and environment
at the International Copper Study Group also observed.
For the fourth edition of Metal Bulletin’s Cop-per Recycling Conference, global red metal
experts met up in the Spanish metropolis of Bar-
celona. ‘Barcelona is booming and, yes, there is
still a lot of industry in Catalonia – but don’t get
the wrong impression; the crisis did not spare
Spain either.’ So said Metal Bulletin’s non-ferrous
specialist Ann-Marie Moreno at the event in June.
For example, she noted, just a handful of
the 60 once-thriving banks remained open
for business, thus dealing a heavy blow to Span-
ish recyclers seeking the credit to enable them
to make continued investments. On the upside,
there was ‘still room’ for financial aid, pointed
out Miquel Garcia, managing director of Span-
ish recycling firm La Farga. ‘This was complete-
ly the reverse only three years ago.’
Ups and downs
Garcia recalled the ‘huge peak’ in Spain’s copper
consumption between 1960 and 1970, and
again in the years leading up to the Millennium.
‘The sector has witnessed many ups and downs
over the last 10 years – also in Sevilla, where
most of the copper mines are located,’ he noted.
Since 2005, he pointed out, five of the ‘old net-
work’ recycling companies had been forced to
close their doors.
Despite the backdrop of rapid economic
change, commitment to innovation was any-
thing but optional, he stressed. ‘Some 70% of
our annual turnover totalling nearly Euro 1
billion is invested in research and development
projects,’ Garcia added. As a result, the compa-
ny’s new furnace boasted an increased produc-
tivity, allowing it to melt 5% more copper while
saving 21% of energy.
Like many other recyclers, La Farga has opted
to widen its focus and to set its sights on North
America in particular. At present, 70% of its
copper is already either directly or indirectly
exported across Europe.
Exchange rates are also a key factor for those in
the copper business as the value of the Euro has
nosedived 23% versus the US dollar when com-
pared to year 2000 levels.
China: a question mark
Increasingly, copper-containing products such
as motors and cables were being dismantled
and processed within Europe, stated keynote
speaker Murat Bayram, European non-ferrous
director at scrap giant EMR. He went on to note
that China’s imports of copper and copper alloy
scrap fell roughly 20% from 4.859 million
C O P P E R By Kirstin Linnenkoper
Captains of copper say:
The value of the US Dollar is
‘close to a turning point’.
RI-6 COPPER.indd 18 05-08-15 09:49
