More Than Ore: The Pivotal Role Recycled Copper Can Play in the Energy Transition

This report by the World Resources Institute examines the critical role of recycled copper, particularly from end-of-life products, in meeting the surging demand driven by the clean energy transition. It highlights that while copper is indispensable for renewable energy and electric vehicles, mining faces significant constraints, making the scaling of circular supply chains essential for sustainability and supply security.

• Copper is essential for the clean energy transition, with demand projected to grow by at least 50% by 2050. Under the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Emission by 2050 Scenario, clean energy technologies will account for 50% of copper demand by 2040. Renewable energy power systems may require six to 12 times more copper than fossil-fuel-based systems, and electric vehicles need at least two to three times more copper than gas vehicles.
• Recycling copper, which is 100% recyclable without loss of properties, offers significant environmental benefits, including saving up to 85% of the energy required for mining and extraction. Currently, recycled copper provides about one-third of the global supply. To meet future demand, global end-of-life copper recycling rates must double from 32% to 66%.
• MIT simulations indicate that improving recycling rates and processing technologies could allow for the recovery of two-thirds of newly available end-of-life copper scrap by 2040. This would result in over 6 million tons of copper being recovered from landfills annually, an amount exceeding the 2023 production of the world's 10 largest copper mines by 30%.
• The U.S., Europe, and China control approximately 60% of collectible end-of-life copper and nearly 80% of the global copper scrap market by revenue, but each faces distinct bottlenecks. The U.S. lacks sufficient smelting and refinery capacity. Europe struggles with regulatory hurdles for cross-border scrap shipment and high energy costs. China relies heavily on government subsidies and faces challenges in domestic scrap supply following a 2017 solid waste import ban.

APA

World Resources Institute (2025). More Than Ore: The Pivotal Role Recycled Copper Can Play in the Energy Transition. https://www.wri.org/insights/pivotal-role-recycled-copper-energy-transition

Chicago

World Resources Institute. More Than Ore: The Pivotal Role Recycled Copper Can Play in the Energy Transition. 2025. https://www.wri.org/insights/pivotal-role-recycled-copper-energy-transition.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=More Than Ore: The Pivotal Role Recycled Copper Can Play in the Energy Transition |date=7 January 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/pivotal-role-recycled-copper-energy-transition |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2025more, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{More Than Ore: The Pivotal Role Recycled Copper Can Play in the Energy Transition}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/pivotal-role-recycled-copper-energy-transition}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }