2022 marked the final year of “phase 1” of the Copper Mark, with the milestone of 20% of globally mined copper being produced by Copper Mark-assured sites. Recognising the rapidly increasing customer and investor expectations around climate and responsible production of raw materials, the Copper Mark used 2022 to update its strategy. The organization will focus on accelerating the development of responsible value chains to respond to market developments, while maintaining its emphasis on the critical impacts of copper production on people and the environment.
A few areas highlighted in the Copper Mark’s third Annual Report include:
Increasing the number of participating sites by 42% to 46 sites and adding 9 new partners along the copper value chain.
▪ Working to revise the core set of Copper Mark Requirements, the Risk Readiness Assessment, receiving almost 400 comments in a first public consultation.
▪ Building a more value-chain based approach, engaging with the copper semis-fabricator industry and publishing the Copper Mark Chain of Custody Standard.
▪ Opening the assurance framework to molybdenum, nickel and zinc producers, in consultation with the International Molybdenum Association, the International Zinc Association, and the Nickel Institute.
▪ Increasing non-industry board representation, reaching an equal number of industry and non-industry representatives.
▪ Adopting a new human rights policy, bringing the Copper Mark in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.
Michèle Brülhart, Executive Director of the Copper Mark, said:
“After three years of implementation, the Copper Mark has built a solid foundation for responsible production through our assurance framework. Looking ahead, our focus is on building a whole value chain approach to the production, sourcing and recycling of these metals and making more responsibly produced metal available to society. We are excited to continue building our momentum in the coming years, in close collaboration with our participants, partners and partner organizations.”