Codelco is making efforts to de-commoditize copper and is running a pilot sustainability project to certify “green copper” or what the company refers to as “feng shui copper,” chairman Oscar Landerretche told delegates at Metal Bulletin’s 13th Asia Copper Conference on Thursday November 30.
“We will carry out the first de-commoditized sale of [feng shui] copper in the next couple of months,” he said.
The Chilean state-owned miner has been working with a trader, a wire producer and a final end producer on the pilot program to create a certifiable copper product where in each cathode has been certified to meet eight parameters.
These include carbon content, territorial impact, community impact, human rights, water content, equal opportunities, health and safety and transparency and ethics.
This project will allow Codelco to take the lead in the green initiative and strive for sustainable mining and manufacturing, Landerretche said.