CRU is a leading provider of independent intelligence in the metals and mining industry. As part of the copper value chain service suite CRU has the Copper Emissions Service which covers over 260 operating copper mines and 70 copper mine projects worldwide. The service includes historical data from 2007 and provides a forecast through to 2050, offering data driven insights into emissions trends across the copper mining sector.
The Copper Mark is the leading assurance framework to promote responsible practices across the copper, molybdenum, nickel and zinc value chains. Sites that participate in the Copper Mark Assurance Process commit to demonstrate responsible production practices through an independent third-party assessment. As of mid-2025, 81 sites along the value chain of which 46 are mines have completed at least the first process to receive The Copper Mark. Some have also obtained The Nickel Mark, The Molybdenum Mark and/or The Zinc Mark depending on the relevant minerals. Altogether they have a combined production that represents 40% of the world copper mine output, according to CRU figures. At the first three largest copper mine producers, Chile, Peru and the DRC, 82%, 21% and 37%, respectively, is output obtained in 2024 at sites that have achieve The Copper Mark according with CRU Analysis production figures.
The CRU Emissions Service is updated at least twice annually. As part of our emissions reconciliation process, CRU leverages publicly disclosed information such as Sustainability Reports and supplements the emissions model with first-hand data collected during primary research to key mining regions around the globe and interactions with the industry. CRU monitors the developments at a mine asset and company level including technology changes, renewable power purchase agreements, and shifts in consumption intensities. These changes are incorporated into CRU emissions modelling framework and are reflected in our Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions calculations.
The Copper Mark is granted for a 3-year period to sites that have completed the assessment of all 33 Copper Mark Criteria and have demonstrated the required level of performance. These criteria are updated every few years with the intention that sites get reassessed towards a more stringed set of requirements. Among the 33 criteria there is specific chapter on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions.
The 2024 CRU emissions curve above reflects the level of GHG emissions per mine, with the width of each bar representing the copper equivalent production where by-products are included as equivalent copper production. The green bars are mines that have obtained The Copper Mark, with 52% of them positioned on the two lowest emissions quartiles of the emissions curve. The overall dispersity of the positions of the mines reflects the inclusiveness and simplicity of the Copper Mark Assurance Process so that mines at various levels can complete the assurance framework and work on the continuous improvement of their practices.
If you would like to find out more about obtaining The Copper Mark award or would like to discuss the role emissions have in the future copper supply please reach out to Alicia Polo y Borda, Director of Outreach and Research at the Copper Mark and Joan Arratia, Base Metals Emissions Lead analyst from CRU.
