About

The Copper Mark is the leading assurance framework to promote responsible practices across the copper, molybdenum, nickel and zinc value chains.

OUR VISION

Our vision is a sustainable society, enabled by the responsible production, sourcing, and recycling of metals.

To achieve our vision, we apply robust governance, credible standards and assurance, stakeholder engagement, and leadership strategies. Through these strategies, we work to:

  1. Address past, present, and future critical impacts on people and the environment throughout metal value chains.
  2. Support the circular economy.
  3. Contribute to positive legacies and a sustainable society.

METALS AND THE LOW-CARBON TRANSITION

Copper, molybdenum, nickel and zinc are fundamental to the energy transition, given their use in most essential renewable technologies. To maximize the contribution of these metals to the energy transition, they need to be produced, sourced and recycled responsibly.

The Copper Mark standards define the expectations for responsible production. This includes for participants to reduce their own carbon footprint and for supply chain actors to increase the amount of recycled metal.

PRINCIPLES

The Copper Mark is guided by the following key principles:

Transparency

The Copper Mark is transparent about the requirements and processes used to asses its participants, as well as about the results of the assurance process.

Inclusiveness

The Copper Mark is accessible to all companies in scope, at whatever stage along their journey to sustainability, their location or size of operations.

Collaboration

The Copper Mark collaborates with other standard systems, across metals and along the value chains, to increase efficiencies and reduce the implementation burden for the users of its assurance framework.

Simplicity

The Copper Mark strives to provide simple and pragmatic pathways to demonstrate responsible practices.

Continuous Improvement

The Copper Mark embeds continuous improvement across all aspects of its assurance frameworks. Continuous improvement is expected - and progress towards objective monitored – for its participants and its own organization.

OUR THEORY OF CHANGE

The Copper Mark Theory of Change (ToC) articulates the desired impact of the organization. The ToC uses a logic of causal chains to connect the Copper Mark’s interventions, results, short- and long-term goals to achieve the desired impact.  Read more the Theory of Change and our Monitoring and Evaluation System here.

THE COPPER MARK AND THE ISEAL ALLIANCE

The Copper Mark is an ISEAL Community Member.  We believe that by striving to adhere to ISEAL Alliance’s Credibility Principles and Codes of Good Practice, our standards and assurance process will:

  • Achieve the intended short term and long term outcomes as defined in its Theory of Change;
  • Demonstrate to relevant stakeholders that the Copper Mark is a credible assurance framework, comparable in its rigour, requirements and approach to other systems;
  • Ensure the continuous improvement of the Copper Mark Assurance Framework.

Read about the Copper Mark and the ISEAL Credibility Principles here.