After declaring its sustainable development commitments to 2030, among which the reduction of 70% of its carbon footprint stands out, and announcing carbon neutrality by 2050,  the largest copper producer in the world Codelco has taken a new step by developing – together with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Corporación Alta Ley and the Association of Industrial Mining Suppliers (Aprimin) – a free-to-use platform for supplier companies to calculate their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Measuring, managing and minimising the carbon footprint of the inputs and products it receives from mining suppliers is the objective of this Codelco project, which will make available to the industry a measurement platform that it says until now has not been available for the mining sector.

“As the main Chilean state-owned company and the largest producer of a key raw material for the leading trends of sustainable society, such as electromobility and different clean energy generating systems, we have the responsibility to promote this commitment throughout our value chain and join the supply companies so that together we can move forward reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” comments Codelco’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability, Renato Fernández. The projection is that, in the near future, this carbon footprint calculator, which in the second half of 2022 will be available on a free platform, will allow positive discrimination against those suppliers that have lower footprints and GHG emissions into the atmosphere.

“The mining team of the Inter-American Development Bank, with funding from the Government of Sweden, has supported the Government of Chile in formulating a guide for the measurement of emissions in the copper mining supply chain. Within the framework of the piloting efforts of this methodology, and of our Vision 2025 for the development of the region, we celebrate the Codelco initiative and actions for the decarbonisation of the mining sector. Public knowledge about effective strategies for reducing carbon emissions and building resilience through smart sustainable procurement practices is critical to meeting climate goals,” said Martin Walter, Infrastructure and Energy Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The CO2 calculator for mining products and services developed by Codelco will be available to all suppliers in the industry, as well as to other companies in the sector, which will allow  progress in the measurement and reduction of Scope 3 GHG emissions (indirect emissions that occur in the value chain of a company) of large mining companies. “Being part of this initiative represents a great opportunity for mining suppliers, as it constitutes a concrete way to contribute to the commitments of the industry,” said Sergio Hernández, Executive Director of Aprimin.

This pioneering and free tool will be offered through a user-friendly web platform with confidential information. Suppliers must enter their information parameters related to energy consumption, fossil fuels and transport services associated with the production and supply of their goods and/or services, and will obtain their respective carbon footprint. This calculation, which will be private information, will help them to measure, challenge and set their own goals to reduce their footprint.

“Additionally, this initiative will allow supplier companies to differentiate themselves and have their efforts to reduce GHG emissions recognised as part of their attributes, further enhancing the development programs of this key segment in the value chain of the mining industry. We want to promote and enhance the business and technological capabilities of our suppliers so that they are seen, valued and selected by the large national and international mining companies, generating sustainable productive chains over time,” added Víctor Pérez, director of Green Mining and leader of the Alta Ley project .

In this way, Codelco, together with the IDB, Alta Ley and Aprimin say they will contribute “by adding a new tool for many small, medium and large suppliers linked to mining to join the global challenge of moving to a low-carbon economy and achieving the country’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.”