Turning Buyer Demand into Low-Carbon Copper Production 

Copper is essential to electrification, digital infrastructure, and the energy transition, but its complex and fragmented supply chain makes it difficult for downstream buyers to influence the emissions associated with the copper they use. Copper is transformed, blended, and traded across multiple tiers before reaching end products, while physical low-emissions copper may not be available through a buyer’s existing suppliers, geographies, or procurement channels. These challenges can dilute the value of downstream demand signals and make it difficult for producers to capture the value of investments in emissions reduction.  

Book and claim (B&C) offers one potential way to address these challenges by separating verified environmental attributes from the physical copper. This allows buyers to support verified low-emissions production even when physical sourcing and traceability are difficult, while creating a more direct commercial signal for producers. B&C can therefore complement, rather than replace, longer-term efforts to improve physical traceability and procurement of low-emissions copper.  

This report examines the practical application of B&C to copper through a pilot involving BHP’s Escondida mine, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and RMI, with independent copper asset and emissions data from Skarn Associates. The pilot tested how core elements of a B&C system, including eligibility, transactions, claims, and reporting, could work in a real transaction context, using both copper concentrate and hydrometallurgical copper cathode (SX-EW route copper cathode).  

The report identifies the design choices, implementation challenges, and market infrastructure needed to develop a credible B&C system for copper. It also highlights areas requiring further collaboration, including Scope 3 accounting and allocation, emissions thresholds and baselines, claiming practices, verification, certification, registry infrastructure, and governance. The findings are intended to support copper producers, downstream buyers, standards bodies, industry associations, and other stakeholders in shaping the next phase of market development.  

For further information and collaboration please contact Wenjuan Liu at wliu@rmi.org and Hylla Barbosa at hbarbosa@rmi.org.