PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner BHP has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with metals major JX Metals Corporation to jointly develop initiatives to cut back on greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in the copper supply chain.

The two companies will pursue the development of a Green Enabling Partnership which is aimed at supporting the continued development of a responsible copper supply chain through enhancing traceability and material origin verification across industry, from producers to downstream consumers such as copper product manufacturers, as well as the semiconductor, information technology and automobile industries.

In addition, the Green Enabling Partnership proposes to advocate for circular economy and GHG emissions reduction through copper concentrates and sulphuric acid supply between both parties, promote knowledge sharing in areas of estimating and reducing the carbon footprint of electrolytic copper, and engaging in research and development to support improved material processing and energy efficient smelting operations.

The two companies have a long-standing relationship dating back to 1985 with the commissioning of Escondida, BHP's largest copper mine.

The two companies have also collaborated on a number of opportunities, including BHP supplying copper concentrates extracted from its mines in Chile to JX Metals' smelters in Japan, and in turn, using sulphuric acid produced in JX Metals' smelting processes for solvent extraction in its mines.

“In a world in which the demand for copper is on the rise, improving the sustainability of producing processes is a non-negotiable. The copper of our mines produced in Chile is fundamental for decarbonising the value chain and for providing the resources the world needs to enable the energy transition,” said BHP president of Americas Rag Udd.

“BHP has made significant progress in increasing the sustainability and ESG standards of its copper production, and we always aim to deliver high-quality and responsibly produced copper. I'm sure that this partnership will benefit our customers and will allow us to go even further in our effort to decarbonise through innovative production processes.”

JX Metals director and deputy CEO Kazuhiro Hori said the company’s partnerships in the downstream copper supply chain were expanding in scope.

“Our efforts to produce more sustainable copper are centered on green hybrid smelting at the Saganoseki smelter and refinery, and partnerships with upstream sectors are essential to reduce our Scope 3 GHG emissions reported by JX Metals in copper concentrate production and transportation. We will respond to our stakeholders' needs by enhancing our ESG efforts in upstream sectors through this partnership with BHP, a vital responsibility for JX Metals.”