Responsible supply chain

We see our responsibility for sustainability standards not only in our own production and actions, but also in our supply chain. This is all the more true given that we source raw materials from all over the world. Due to potential risks regarding compliance with sustainability standards, we systematically analyse the risks posed by our suppliers and the countries of origin.

We source our primary and secondary raw materials from a large number of suppliers, thus protecting ourselves from excessive dependence on individual large suppliers and regional fluctuations on the world market. In our primary smelters, we source and process copper and precious metal concentrates that are extracted from ores and offered on the world market by mining companies and trading companies. We source these primarily from large, globally active mining companies that are committed to sustainable business practices and regularly publish their sustainability performance.

Aurubis aligns its due diligence obligations in the supply chain with internationally recognised standards for responsible sourcing. Since it came into force, Aurubis has also been complying with the requirements of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). By complying with these frameworks, Aurubis systematically addresses human rights and environmental risks in its supply chain.

The Group Responsible Sourcing Policy summarises the Group-wide responsibilities and procurement guidelines and ensures a uniform, risk-oriented process for verifying the identity/integrity of suppliers and the supply chain. The policy can be found here.

We expect our business partners to comply with the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and applicable national and local laws and regulations. Our Business Partner Code applies to all business partners of the Aurubis Group. We only want to do business with partners who strive to meet our own environmental, social and governance standards and who are fully committed to our sustainability requirements.

Human rights or environmental risks, as well as violations of human rights or environmental obligations arising from Aurubis' economic activities in its own business area or at direct and indirect suppliers, can be reported via our whistleblower system.

 

Since 2013, Aurubis’ gold production has been annually certified as conflict free according to the standards of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). This certificate verifies that we carry out our due diligence in accordance with the OECD standards. This certification option has been available for silver since 2019, and Aurubis’ silver production has been certified as conflict free since then as well. Tin production at our Beerse and Berango sites has been certified as conflict free in accordance with the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process Standard (RMAP) and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) since 2015. This standard is also based on the OECE standard for conflict minerals.

Human rights and environmental risks, as well as violations of human rights or environmental responsibilities, that result from Aurubis’ business activities in its own business area or with direct and indirect suppliers, can be reported via our whistleblower hotline.