The Essentiality of Copper in Times of Crisis
The health, safety and well-fare of everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic is the top priority for the copper industry. Copper is needed now to manufacture essential medical equipment, to keep vehicles on the road for the delivery of supplies, to keep electrical power flowing, and to ensure adequate food supply. Copper’s inherent anti-microbial property is an asset for humans to live healthy lives. Life as we know it would come to a sudden stop without copper.
Copper and the medical fight against COVID-19: The health industry relies upon copper for the delivery of medical gases and copper is needed for medical equipment used for diagnostics as well as equipment to treat and to monitor patients’ progress.
Copper is essential to the economy: The copper and copper alloy semis-manufacturing industry is an essential contributor to the continued operation of the global economy.
Copper is needed for the generation and distribution of electricity to homes, shops and industry.
Copper is used in the transport system for the delivery of power to trains and trams, in signal wire, in vehicles for the distribution of power, and on-board computers.
Modern computing would not exist without copper in circuit boards and processors and essential air-conditioning in data-centres. Copper helps the world communicate over the internet to keep families and friends in virtual contact during self-isolation.
Copper is a global product and relies on international supply chains. Much copper is mined in countries and regions where copper demand is low and shipped to countries where copper is needed. Recycled copper is an important raw material. It is vital that ports and borders remain open so that they can handle copper that is being trans-shipped across oceans and between countries.
The copper industry is essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be needed more than ever once the crisis has passed and the global economy returns to normal.
Copper keeps people safe: Copper helps keep food safe for extended periods of time by ensuring freezers, chillers and refrigerators do their job of keeping food cold.
Copper is essential in the food-canning industry for the welding of cans.
Copper is used in air-conditioning units to lower the ambient temperature in countries with hot and humid climates and also to provide heat in counties with colder climates.
The copper processing industry is a low-risk workplace for the spread of COVID-19: The copper semis industry has highly efficient manufacturing processes; relatively low numbers of production workers are employed in the work-place. Therefore, existing working practices in semis plants means that social distancing is easily implemented and enforced in the workplace.
What can be done?: Copper plants should continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure essential services continue uninterrupted. Ports, borders and other transport infrastructure should be kept open for essential industrial deliveries, including copper products.
For further information, please email iwcc@coppercouncil.org
