environMental guidelineS and ManageMent SySteM
As a responsible company, Aurubis is dedicated to sustain- able economic activity. The Company is mindful of improved energy efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions due to its energy-intensive processes. Additional key aims of environ- mental protection are improved water and soil conservation and immission control. In order to protect naturally limited re- sources, Aurubis is also concerned with utilising raw materials as completely as possible and relies on recycling for copper recovery.
Environmental and climate protection is a fixed element of company strategy and is enshrined in the guidelines. An environmental management system ensures that valid legal requirements for environmental protection are fulfilled. It also serves to continuously improve environmental protec- tion at Aurubis. Targets and measures are defined and their implementation is controlled with the help of the system. Environmental protection standards were developed and implemented so that all sites can report on compliance with environmental protection targets, environmental protection measures implemented and the environmental key perfor- mance indicators (KPIs).
Aurubis’ environmental management systems are certified in accordance with ISO 14001 at most of the individual sites and additionally with EMAS in Hamburg, Lünen and at Schwer- metall Halbzeugwerk. The implementation of environmental protection and the resulting successes were reviewed and verified during the annual inspection by external consultants.
proJeCtS and progreSS in environMental proteCtion
The precondition for sustainable environmental protection is capital expenditure on state-of-the-art environmental and plant technologies in particular. In the past several years, an average of about one-third of the Aurubis Group’s total capital expenditure has been spent on environmental protec- tion measures. These measures amounted to over € 80 million in 2010.
The Aurubis Group is currently one of the most environ- mentally sound and energy-efficient copper producers in the world. Energy efficiency and climate protection are constantly developed and improved at all Group sites.
81.5
10
Capital expenditure for environmental protection at aurubis in € million 33.3 83.4 30.7 10.4 11.7 10.0 23.1 38.4 19.6 27.5 80 70 60 20 10 0 40 30 50 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
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This is also confirmed by the emissions trend in primary copper production – emissions have been reduced by over 80 % since 2000, while specific dust emissions for the primary and secondary copper production sectors decreased by 94 % (reference year 2000).
The following reduction measures contributed significantly to the further decrease in emissions in fiscal year 2010/11:
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In September 2011 a new storehouse for bulk material wasinaugurated at the Hamburg site. The capital expenditure volume amounted to about € 7.5 million. The 5,000 m² hall with an integrated crusher and conveyor facility is intended to reduce fugitive emissions in this area by about 70 %. The immission situation in the immediate vicinity of the production facilities and surrounding the plant will be further improved as a result.
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We optimised the collection and cleaning of fugitive emissions at the Pirdop site in the area of the smelting facilities. The installation of technical equipment was completed in October 2010 and led to a further emission reduction.»
At the Lünen site, the new furnace facilities set a new benchmark in environmental protection. With a capital expenditure volume totalling € 62.5 million, Aurubis spent € 17.5 million on extensive environmental protection equipment. A highlight in this respect is the new crane hood, which was installed in a plant of the non- ferrous metals industry for the first time. It collects all of the fugitive emissions from the new furnaces in connection with a closed hall.The Group invested in energy-efficient plant technologies at all sites, in individual measures to save more energy and in voluntary projects, such as the city of Hamburg’s climate protection programme. This led to significant CO₂ emission reductions, as demonstrated by the consolidated climate pro- tection indicators for copper production in the Aurubis Group. The continuous positive trend was confirmed, taking into account the climate conditions of an especially harsh winter.
2,000 2,500 1,500 1,000 500 0
So₂ emissions – comparison with other smelters
in kg SO₂/t of copper produced
Hambur
g
Hamburg site 4
Pirdop site 11
European copper smelters (avg.) 43 International copper smelters (avg.) 325
Pirdop
International avg.
Source: Brook Hunt 2010/certified data
0.22
10
fuel-related Co₂ emissions from primary copper production
in t CO₂/t of copper produced
0.32 0.25 0.26 0.25 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.21 0.21 0.20 0.30 0.35 0.25 0.20 0 0.10 0.05 0.15 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
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reSourCe ConServation
The European Commission established resource protection as a key issue of 2011. Accordingly, environmental protec- tion should extend beyond avoiding and reducing emissions. Increased material efficiency and optimised recycling of waste in particular led to progress in resource conservation. On the national level, there is a draft of a German resource efficiency programme that provides for an increase in resource efficien- cy, especially by increasing recycling rates.
The recycling of copper scrap, copper alloy scrap and other recycling materials is a central business segment in copper production at Aurubis apart from processing copper con- centrates. About one-third of the copper produced currently comes from processing recycling materials. Copper thus fulfils the criteria of sustainable development and serves as a basis for modern recycling management. It conserves natural resources, lowers the energy demand and prevents the perma- nent loss of valuable materials. However, processing primary raw materials cannot be avoided, as copper demand continues to increase worldwide and the return times are long in some cases due to the metal’s very high durability.
Aurubis is a leader in copper recycling. The copper group efficiently reprocesses different recycling raw materials with state-of-the-art recycling technologies that guarantee envi- ronmentally friendly production and enable the fabrication of high-quality products. Effects of production on the resources water, air and soil are kept as low as possible at Aurubis with the best available plant technology. Non-ferrous metals such as copper are not used up; they are fed into the cycle and therefore fulfil sustainability and resource efficiency require- ments to a high degree. Nearly all raw materials are converted into marketable products. Waste is effectively avoided and disposed of in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
A total of 3.3 million t of raw materials were utilised at Aurubis in 2010 in primary and secondary copper production. About 860,000 t of this amount, or more than one-fourth of the input materials, comprised recycling materials. The proportion of recycling materials in the raw material input has continu- ously increased from 19 % to 26 % in the past five years. The development of recycling in the Group helps close material cycles in an environmentally friendly manner and is therefore an important contribution to resource protection and sustain- able development.
Apart from this, Aurubis strives to recycle accumulated waste as far as possible. The recycling rate for production waste reached 99.8 % at the sites in 2010. Overall, 120,000 t of waste accumulated in Aurubis’ copper production processes. More than half (62,000 t) came from construction measures in the course of various building projects such as the KRS-Plus project at the Lünen site. Of the remaining production waste (58,000 t), 37 % was directed to recycling.
Our Environmental Report 2011 contains more detailed infor- mation on environmental protection in the Aurubis Group. It can be found on our website, www.aurubis.com, or obtained from the Group Communications Department.
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