Focus on recycling: Aurubis makes the final round of the 15th German Sustainability Award

In the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the winners of the 15th German Sustainability Award 2023 were announced at a gala event in Düsseldorf on Friday night. Aurubis was one of twelve finalists in the “Resources” transformation field. From the pool of applicants, 71 companies were nominated in five categories, Resources, Climate, Biodiversity, Supply Chain, and Society, and 36 selected as finalists.

“Being named a finalist for this important award is confirmation that we are on the right track in the area of sustainability. It is also an incentive to continue to do our utmost to expand our industry leadership in the area of sustainability”, Aurubis CEO Roland Harings says. “The future needs recycling! More recycling means more climate protection as well as greater independence. If we want to achieve the climate targets, we have set for ourselves and meet society’s raw material needs in the future, we need to reuse valuable metals to an even greater extent, in addition to importing raw materials. We are well aware of this responsibility and are leading the way as a company. As an integrated smelter network, we are expanding our capacity for recycling and investing in innovative recycling solutions.”

The Hamburg-based company is a pioneer in copper recycling and the global leader in the field today. Aurubis currently processes around one million tons of recycled material annually; half of all copper cathodes produced by Aurubis will be manufactured from recycled materials by 2030. The company is also increasingly using its many years of expertise to process complex materials such as e-scrap and industrial residues. In the future, Aurubis also plans to significantly contribute to the fast-growing area of battery recycling. To accomplish this goal, the company set up a pilot plant at its Hamburg site and plans to build an industrial-scale plant once testing has successfully been completed.

Holistic understanding of sustainability enshrined in the company

The responsible use of resources is a strategic goal that guides Aurubis’ actions when it comes to saving energy, reducing emissions, and protecting the environment. “Metals make the future. Without them, there would be no energy transition, no digitalization, no innovation. That’s why it is all the more important for us to responsibly transform raw materials into value, and to improve our environmental footprint along the entire supply and value chains,” Head of Sustainability Christian Hein explains.

Over the past eight years, Aurubis has employed targeted measures to reduce the carbon footprint of copper cathodes by more than 35 %. This is over 50 % less than the average global carbon footprint of copper cathodes. Aurubis will achieve carbon-neutral production by 2050 at the latest. To replace natural gas in production over the long term, the company is also testing alternative energy sources, such as hydrogen and ammonia. Aurubis focuses on consistent business partner and supply chain management with its suppliers. In addition, the company participates in the Copper Mark, the copper industry’s quality seal. Aurubis has already received Copper Mark certification for its sites in Pirdop, Bulgaria, and Hamburg and Lünen, Germany.

About the German Sustainability Award

This year marks the 15th German Sustainability Award (DNP), Europe’s highest award for commitment to the environment and social responsibility. With eight competitions and more than 1,000 domestic and international applicants, it is the most comprehensive prize of its kind in Europe. The awards are based on the goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and thus on key transformation fields such as the climate, biodiversity, resources, the supply chain, and society. The DNP is awarded as part of German Sustainability Day, which has become the leading conference on sustainability since it was established in 2008.

More information at www.nachhaltigkeitspreis.de