Copper — Wire and Components

Material Composition Assumptions

The default reference product is 1 kg of copper wire rod (8 mm diameter, suitable for further drawing into electrical wire), produced from primary (virgin) copper via the pyrometallurgical route:

• Copper ore: Approximately 200-300 kg of ore per kg of copper at current global average grades (~0.5% Cu). Open-pit or underground mining followed by crushing, grinding, and flotation concentration to ~30% Cu concentrate.
• Smelting: Flash smelting or bath smelting of concentrate to produce matte (~60% Cu), then converting to blister copper (~99% Cu).
• Electrolytic refining: Electrorefining of blister copper in sulfuric acid tankhouses to produce 99.99% pure copper cathode.
• Wire rod rolling: Hot rolling of cathode into 8 mm rod for subsequent drawing.

Copper mining is extremely energy-intensive due to low ore grades. Comminution (crushing and grinding) consumes approximately 40% of total mine-site energy. As global average ore grades decline (~0.5% today vs. ~1.5% in the 1990s), energy intensity per kg of copper continues to increase.

Manufacturing Geography

Copper has a geographically dispersed supply chain:

• Mining: Chile (~27% of global mine production), Peru (~10%), DRC (~8%), China (~8%), USA (~5%).
• Smelting and refining: China (~45% of global refined copper), Japan, Chile, India, and EU.
• Wire and rod fabrication: Globally distributed, near end markets.
• Grid intensity (China): 565 gCO2e/kWh (IEA 2024). China dominates refining.
• Grid intensity (Chile): ~420 gCO2e/kWh. Mining operations increasingly incorporating solar.
• Rationale: Mining and smelting are the dominant energy steps. Mines typically use diesel for haul trucks and explosives, with electricity for comminution and concentrators. Smelters use a mix of fossil fuels and electricity.

Regional Variation

Mining + Refining Region	Estimated Score (per kg)	Adjustment vs Default
Global average (default)	4.0 kgCO2e	Baseline
Chile mine → China refine	4.5 kgCO2e	+13% (transport, coal grid refining)
Chile mine → Chile refine	3.5 kgCO2e	-13% (shorter chain, solar growth)
EU (Aurubis, Boliden)	2.5-3.0 kgCO2e	-30% (cleaner grid, efficient smelters)
Secondary (recycled)	0.5-1.0 kgCO2e	-80% (no mining or smelting)

Provenance Override Guidance

A supplier may override the default CCI score by submitting:

1. Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for copper cathode or wire rod.
2. Mine and smelter data: The Copper Mark assurance framework covers site-level environmental performance.
3. Recycled content: Secondary copper requires only ~10-15% of primary copper energy. Verified recycled content should be declared.
4. Hydrometallurgical route data: SX-EW (solvent extraction–electrowinning) processing of oxide ores has a different emission profile than pyrometallurgical processing.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 4 kgCO2e/kg represents a conservative global average for primary copper wire rod. International Copper Association reports 3.6-4.2 kgCO2e/kg for cathode, plus ~0.3 kgCO2e/kg for rod rolling.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 is 50% (2.0 kgCO2e/kg) from ore mining, concentration, and transport. Scope 2 is 30% (1.2 kgCO2e/kg) from electrolytic refining and wire drawing electricity. Scope 1 is 20% (0.8 kgCO2e/kg) from smelter fuel and process emissions.
• Confidence: High — copper has standardized industry LCI data from the International Copper Association and numerous EPDs.
• Functional unit: 1 kg of copper wire rod, cradle to gate.
• Ore grade trend: Declining ore grades mean the energy and emissions intensity of copper is increasing over time — approximately 1-2% per year. CCI scores for copper should be reviewed annually.