Copper has the longest recycling history of any material known to civilization, as it is infinitely recyclable and can be used again and again without losing any of its properties. It is estimated that since 1900, two-thirds of the 550 million tonnes of copper mined is still in productive use. For copper recycling to be effective, innovation is needed. Endeavors supporting copper recycling can be implemented in new product design to facilitate end-of-life recovery and industrial copper recycling processes to increase overall yields. The International Copper Association (ICA) fully supports the copper industry’s efforts in copper recycling and reintroducing this valuable metal back into the economy.

Recycled copper requires 85 percent less energy than primary production. On a global scale, this saves 40 million tonnes of CO₂ or the equivalent emissions of 16 million cars.