Sustainable Development of the Chinese Copper Market

The report examines China's position as the world's largest producer and consumer of refined copper, detailing the supply chain from extraction to recycling. It highlights the industry's significant economic contribution and employment generation, while addressing environmental risks such as heavy metal pollution and toxic gas emissions. The document also outlines the Chinese government's regulatory framework, including the 'Admittance Qualification of Chinese Copper Smelting Industry', which sets strict energy, resource recovery, and environmental standards for smelters.

• China is the world's largest producer and consumer of refined copper; in 2008, its refined copper production was 3.79 million tonnes (20.5% of world output) and its consumption was 5.2 million tonnes (28.8% of world total).
• China faces a significant deficit in copper resources, with a self-sufficient rate for refined copper output that dropped to 24.69% in 2009. Consequently, China is the world's largest importer of copper concentrate, sourcing primarily from Chile, Peru, and Mongolia.
• The secondary copper sector is a dynamic part of the industry, with output reaching 1.90 million tonnes in 2008. Secondary copper supply accounted for approximately 30% of China's total copper consumption in 2008.
• The copper industry is a major economic driver in China, with mid-to-large smelters seeing gross industrial output value grow from 32.2 billion yuan in 2000 to 278 billion yuan in 2008. The sector employs nearly one million people across mining, smelting, processing, and recycling.
• Copper production poses severe environmental and health risks, including soil erosion, land desertification, and heavy metal pollution from tailings. Smelting releases sulphur dioxide (SO2), a primary cause of acid rain, though Chinese enterprises report an SO2 recovery rate above 96%.
• The 'Admittance Qualification of Chinese Copper Smelting Industry' (2006) imposes strict requirements on smelters, including a minimum capacity of 100 ktpy, a requirement for copper concentrate self-sufficiency of over 25%, and a gross sulphur capture rate of more than 98% for greenfield projects.

APA

Shang, F., Zhao, B., Duan, S., & Zhou, Z. (2011). Sustainable Development of the Chinese Copper Market. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sustainable_development_chinese_copper.pdf

Chicago

Shang, Fushan, Bo Zhao, Shaofu Duan, and Zunbo Zhou. Sustainable Development of the Chinese Copper Market. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sustainable_development_chinese_copper.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{shang2011sustainable, author = {Shang, Fushan and Zhao, Bo and Duan, Shaofu and Zhou, Zunbo}, title = {{Sustainable Development of the Chinese Copper Market}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sustainable_development_chinese_copper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }