The Copper Mark, the assurance framework to promote responsible practices and demonstrate the contribution of the copper, molybdenum, nickel and zinc industries to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, has welcomed its first six non-copper participants seeking assurance against its framework.
These sites include:
- Boliden Mineral AB–BolidenKokkola Oy (copper and zinc).
- Boliden Mineral AB–BolidenHarjavalta Oy (nickel).
- Freeport-McMoRan Inc–Climax (molybdenum).
- Freeport-McMoRan Inc–Henderson (molybdenum).
- Molymet–Molymet BelgiumNV (molybdenum).
- Molymet–Complejo IndustrialMolynor S.A. (molybdenum).
The addition of these new sites follows the launch of the Copper Mark’s pilot implementation scheme for molybdenum, nickel and zinc producers last October. This expansion reflects the deepening collaboration between the Copper Mark, the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA), the Nickel Institute (NI), and the International Zinc Association (IZA) to promote sustainable and responsible production and sourcing practices within and across these critical transition mineral supply chains.
The pilot scheme will run to July 2023 and includes the independent third-party site assessment of the participating sites against the Copper Mark Responsible Production Criteria, the Risk Readiness Assessment. The site may receive the Molybdenum Mark, Nickel Mark and/or Zinc Mark if the independent assessment confirms that all criteria are fully or partially met. A full launch for producers of molybdenum, nickel, and zinc is planned for later in 2023.
The six new sites join the Copper Mark in addition to 16 existing copper-producing participants that also produce at least one of the additional metals. This shows the strong overlap between the producers of copper, molybdenum, nickel and zinc and the efficiencies gained through the multi-metal partnership.