Aurubis uses production processes that cause minimal off-gas and wastewater, and are efficient in energy consumption while converting raw materials almost completely into products. All the energy generated by the processes is used as far as possible. Downstream cleaning technologies complement process-integrated environmental protection.

Since 1981 € 359 million has been invested in environmental protection, particularly in emission reduction, climate protection and the conservation of resources.

Milestones included the use of state-of-the-art filter technologies for all directed emission sources (stacks). To reduce fugitive emission sources, we have developed innovative environmental protection technologies at the Hamburg site, which have been subsidized with research funds from the Federal Environmental Agency on account of their demonstrative character and transferability.

The projects to reduce fugitive emissions in particular are milestones in environmental protection. For Aurubis it is important to develop innovative technologies in environmental protection and to explore new technical territory in the process. In 2009 the project to enclose and suction off fugitive emissions in the anode furnace and casting machine sectors in the primary smelter was successfully optimized with capital expenditure of about € 7 million.

Aurubis is an environmental partner of the city of Hamburg and achieved the status of an environmentally friendly company as part of “Hamburg European Green Capital 2011”.

In early 2011 Aurubis and Hamburg’s State Authority of Urban Development and Environment signed another voluntary environmental agreement, the sixth since 1985. The agreement continues the successful cooperation between the city of Hamburg and Aurubis. The focus of the current environmental agreement is the ongoing reduction of so-called fugitive emissions in the primary smelter. Together with the other measures agreed on in this contract, Aurubis is thus voluntarily investing about € 20 million in environmental protection.