Unpacking the conditions for meeting burgeoning copper demand

With copper demand expected to increase from 28.3-million tonnes in 2020 to 41-million tonnes by 2040 at a compound yearly growth rate of 1.85%, and many regions gearing up supply chains for critical metals, JSE- and ASX-listed Orion Minerals CEO and MD Errol Smart says it will be the responsible mining companies that will rise to the demand challenge and be competitive in the market. Copper mining sites globally have “less than satisfactory” environmental and social management practices, but funders and offtakers are increasingly supporting mining companies with solid environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials, he tells Engineering News & Mining Weekly.