Copper LCA
Copper Life Cycle Assessments
As the leading voice of the copper industry, the International Copper Association (ICA) is committed to providing up-to-date, transparent, and accurate information to all stakeholders. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful decision-making tool used to identify environmental burdens and evaluate the potential impacts of good or services over their entire life cycle. Standardized under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), LCA serves as the conceptual foundation for numerous management approaches and standards that consider the life cycle impacts of product systems.
In 2021, ICA, in collaboration with the International Wrought Copper Council (IWCC) and the Copper Development Association (CDA), conducted a comprehensive LCA study.
This study quantifies resource use, energy consumption, and environmental emissions associated with the production of copper and copper alloy semi-fabricated products. Another of ICA’s key contributions to the industry is our Copper Environmental Profile, which features the results of ICA’s copper cathode Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) (cradle-to-gate) and impact assessment.
This profile represents the most comprehensive and globally representative data set on copper cathode and concentrate made publicly available to date. Dr. Matthias Finkbeiner, Technical University Berlin, Germany performed a critical review of the methodology, data quality and modeling aspects of the study as an independent expert reviewer. The review statement is available along with the report on request.
Participating companies Anglo American, Antofagasta, Aurubis, BHP, Boliden, Codelco, Freeport-McMoRan, Glencore, Grupo Mexico, KGHM, Rio Tinto, Sumitomo, and Teck were located in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
To support transparency and informed decision-making, downloadable Life Cycle Inventories (LCIs) for copper can be accessed below.
Copper Life Cycle Assessment Data
LCA Publications
Sector and Category Rules
Data
Coming soon!
Copper, with its infinite life cycle, is a 100 percent recyclable material that can be used over and over again without any loss of its chemical or physical properties.
Learn more about copper's role in the circular economy
