Sustainability and the Green Agenda
The IWCC is increasingly engaging in green issues and programmes on behalf of its members through a range of activities and partnerships. These are outlined below.
A PDF version of this newsletter is available to download here.
IWCC Sustainability Contact Group
The IWCC has established a new group of member companies to discuss green issues and provide input to on how the IWCC can best represent the semis fabricating industry on these matters. The group’s activities are expected to increase in the coming months as environmental issues become increasingly important.
If you would like to participate in the Sustainability Contact Group, please contact IWCC Vice President, Mike Smith at mike@coppercouncil.org.
The Copper Mark
The Copper Mark provides an assurance scheme for the copper industry and was launched in early 2020.
In the initial stages, the Copper Mark initiative was aimed at the copper producing industry, that is mines, smelters and refiners. It is now being extended to semis-fabricators.
The IWCC is a key influencer in formulating the necessary requirements for semis- fabricators to take part in this assurance scheme before the official launch. In addition, the Copper Mark assurance process will take account of the ‘chain of custody’ and also the treatment of scrap.
The IWCC President is a director of The Copper Mark company – which is an independent legal entity – representing the views of the semis fabricating community.
IWCC Input into Sustainability Initiatives
The IWCC holds positions in committees, groups and decision-making frameworks for a range of industry sustainability initiatives which affect copper fabricators and the wider industry. These include the relevant International Copper Association (ICA) groups and committees, including ICA’s Global Copper Decarbonisation Roadmap Task Force, and the International Council on Mining and Metals Responsible Sourcing Working Group. Through these groups the IWCC represents the views of its members.
The IWCC also monitors the latest developments in initiatives and legislation, including EU legislative changes and the LME’s sustainability projects.
Fabricator Life Cycle Assessment
The IWCC has been supporting ICA’s fabricator Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) project. The project will provide LCA data for a range of copper and alloy semis-types by region. Fabricator LCAs are increasingly a requirement of downstream customers.
IWCC members have been involved in the design of the fabricator LCA project and have been encouraged to participate. Each company that participates in the project will receive their individual LCA profile for their products alongside the publicly available aggregate figures.
Companies who have not yet signed-up to take part in the LCA but would like further information about the fabricator LCA should email iwcc@coppercouncil.org.
IWCC Conference on Sustainability and the Green Agenda
The IWCC conference focusing on green issues was planned to take place in Barcelona in September. Regrettably, due to the COVID situation the Barcelona event has had to be cancelled. However, a rearranged IWCC conference on these issues is planned for the near future.
The IWCC’s European Product Committees have also recently received presentations on the green economy highlighting the opportunities for copper semis from this.
Additional Information
For further details please email iwcc@coppercouncil.org.
