Aurubis pledges sustainable future

Copper giant Aurubis has unveiled a new slogan – Tomorrow Metals by Aurubis – to emphasise the group’s continuing focus on sustainability.

The drive was unveiled during London Metal Exchange Week and ceo Roland Harings says it is showing customers ‘that acting responsibly is a mindset at Aurubis and that we set the highest standards in energy efficiency and environmental protection in all of our activities’.

Aurubis already claims to be the most sustainable smelter network in the world and says it is committed to delivering more value with less environmental footprint. Michael Hellemann Soerensen, head of commercial, adds: ‘Our commitment encompasses our many efforts to act and do business sustainably, efforts we have already made in the past and will continue to push forward in the future as well. Those who buy from Aurubis today and in the future can be assured that our metals are at the forefront when it comes to their environmental footprint.’

The new slogan is backed by key performance indicators that that will be regularly reported and reviewed. Compared to 2018, the group wants to cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50 % and Scope 3 emissions by 24 % per tonne of copper produced until 2030.

Aurubis, the largest copper producer in Europe and the largest copper recycler worldwide, says it already produces metal with less than half the CO2 per tonne of its international competitors. This involves greater efforts to recycle copper: its cathodes already contain more than 40% recycling material.

‘To further promote the circular economy of metals, the group will build on its plans to continue expanding its recycling capacities in the future as well – currently, these capacities amount to about one million tonnes per year,’ the company website states. Aurubis also pledges to to ensure that, when selecting business partners, sustainability and compliance criteria will be reviewed, monitored, and documented.