Research projects help us connect with stakeholders and improve our understanding of critical impacts along the value chain

THE COPPER MARK PARTICIPATES IN RESEARCH PROJECTS

Why does the Copper Mark invest resources on research?

Because we believe that Continuous Improvement, for our process and framework, is key. Research helps us understand critical impacts in the value chains of our principal covered metals, as well as trends and new developments in their value chains.

What projects are of interest to the Copper Mark?

We aim to participate in projects that further our understanding of stakeholders and critical impacts-iacross the copper, molybdenum, nickel and zinc value chains,in order to serve our vision of promoting responsible production, sourcing and recycling practices.

How are these projects being developed?

Research projects are prioritized by the relevance of the topic,the ability for the Copper Mark to add value to the project as well as to use results to inform and improve our assurance framework.

THE PROJECTS WHERE WE PARTICIPATE

Project: “Artisanal and Small-scale Copper Mining in Perú”

Timeline: October 2023 – May 2024

Summary:

The goal is to increase knowledge about the reality of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Copper Mining (ASCM) sector in Peru to inform an open dialogue about its future and sustainable development between all ASCM value chain stakeholders. The main deliverables will be an assessment paper, and a series of roundtable discussions, ultimately resulting in recommendations for future activities.

Project Activities:

The main activities of this project include:

Field work to map the ASCM activities led by ARM.
Regional workshops with miners from the departments of Huancavelica, Ica and Apurimac.
National workshop held in Lima, Peru on April 24, 2024, where artisanal miners presented their main points on problems, challenges and opportunities to improve their situation.
Presentation of the main results of the project at a Partner-led session during the OECD Forum for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains, in late May 2024 in Paris, France.

Deliverables:

The findings of the project are in the following deliverables

Full report: English Español
Infographic: English Español
Recorded session - National workshop with ASCM: Dialogos sobre Mineria Artesanal y de Pequeña Escala de Cobre en el Perú
White paper / policy brief, forthcoming

Funding and collaborators:

This project was possible thanks to a grant from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

The project received complementary funding from Intel Corporation and MinSus Cooperacion Alemana GIZ.

The development was led by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM)

Project “Sector Decarbonization Approach – Copper” - Phase I

Phase I: “Decarbonizing the Copper Sector”

Timeline: September 2023 – May 2024

Summary:

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) conducted initial research and scoping of the key issues to be addressed in the development of a copper specific 1.5°C-aligned target setting methodology (i.e., a sectoral decarbonization approach or SDA) similar to those that were recently developed in other sectors such as steel and aluminum.

The SDA aim is to provide copper producing companies with a clear methodology to set emissions reduction goals that are in line with the 1.5°C target and which account for both the growth needed in copper production and the sector-specific challenges to decarbonization.

Through stakeholder interviews and review of previous publications on copper trajectories, a number of issues were identified to be addressed during the development of an SDA.

Deliverables:

Report "Copper Sector - Discussion Topics and Considerations for 1.5°C-aligned Trajectory and Target-setting Methodology"
Presentation of the results, session held on Monday May 6th, 2024
- Presentation
- Session recording

Funding and collaborators:

The Copper Mark financed the project, which was developed by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

We thank all the experts and stakeholders from across the copper supply chain including representatives from copper mining companies, manufacturers as well as standard setters and civil society organizations that contributed their valuable knowledge to various aspects of this report.

Project “Sector Decarbonization Approach – Copper” - Phase II

Phase II: “Sector Decarbonization Approach – Copper”

Timeline: May 2024 – May 2026

Summary:

Copper is a crucial input for many decarbonization technologies such as solar PV, wind, energy transmission and electric vehicles. Without decarbonization and considering current technologies, absolute GHG emissions from copper production will more than double by 2050, with emissions from land-use change to rise threefold.

Currently, there is no guidance available to the copper industry on setting science-based targets that considers the need for production to grow to meet the demand for the energy transition. For producers and purchasers of copper, a clear roadmap outlining the trajectory to net-zero is needed to:

Support emissions target setting for copper producers.
Support end-users to procure inputs with lower embodied emissions to achieve their own supply chain emissions reduction targets.
Allow for the consistent implementation and verification of performance against the Copper Mark’s standards.

The project is implemented in three main phases:

Phase 1: Stakeholder engagement and scoping (See above under Phase I). Completed
Phase 2: Phase 2: Development of the SDA Roadmap with the Technical Working Group (see Terms of Reference here)
Phase 3: Publication, integration of the SDA Roadmap in the Copper Mark assurance framework, submission to SBTi and sharing of learnings.

Deliverables will be announced in due course.

Funding and collaborators:

This project was possible thanks to a grant from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

The project will receive match funding from companies participating in the Technical Working Group. Recruitment for the Technical Working Group is currently underway. Interested experts are asked to contact info@coppermark.org for further information.

The Copper Mark supports and complements the research efforts, led by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

The project will engage with stakeholders from industry and non-industry through a Technical Working Group, a broader stakeholder group as well as through a public consultation. Details of the public consultation will be announced on the Copper Mark website in due course.