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Drive towards carbon neutrality must be done holistically, says Glencore exec

Glencore sustainable development head Anna Krutikov

Glencore sustainable development head Anna Krutikov

29th January 2021

By: Tasneem Bulbulia

Senior Contributing Editor Online

     

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Given the global nature of production and consumption, there is a need to think about one's carbon footprint in a holistic way and companies pursuing a transition strategy should undertake this in a way that includes vulnerable people, diversified miner Glencore sustainable development head Anna Krutikov said during a webinar on 'Greening Trade', hosted by the World Economic Forum, on January 29.

She pointed out that Glencore viewed its carbon footprint through two lenses. Firstly, as a mining company with a carbon footprint and, secondly, with a significant presence in recycling, that is, giving a second life to the metals it mines.

Krutikov noted that Glencore had begun by analysing its industrial footprint, discovered that this only accounted for about 10% of its total footprint and, therefore, it had to consider the emissions produced from the use of its products.

She highlighted that the company had made a commitment to net zero emissions from its full footprint.

Glencore is the first mining company to undertake this, and this is critical to meaningful participation in carbon neutrality, she asserted.

In terms of recycling, Krutikov noted that, presently, there was an important role for greater coherence between policy and action. She highlighted a growing consumer interest in recycling, which was driving greater action by companies to take back products and collect waste.

However, she said companies faced barriers, as global regulations around safely collecting and recycling scrap still broadly perceived these activities as a hazard. Therefore, companies that comply with these regulations find it very difficult to recycle at scale.

For example, she mentioned that some scrap that customers had collected for Glencore to recycle had been sitting in the country of origin for a year, not because there was a problem with it, but because the regulations around sorting, shipping and transporting it were very complex.

Krutikov said this limited the formal recycling sector from growing, which then also hindered the informal sector as it led to the proliferation of unsafe informal environmental practices.

She suggested that this could be addressed through evolved regulations, that would ensure that the vulnerable were not left behind or marginalised on the path towards carbon neutrality.

Krutikov emphasised that social inclusion was key to creating and establishing a low-carbon economy.

She noted that, one example that Glencore had grappled with, was the commodity cobalt, which was essential in many products needed for the transition to a low-carbon economy.

However, there were many legitimate concerns surrounding this commodity, including child labour practices and unsafe working conditions in artisanal mining. Krutikov said the mining of cobalt risked marginalising already vulnerable people, as these concerns drove changes in the buying behaviour for cobalt.

Therefore, she said Glencore had been working with its partners in the supply chain, as well as those on the ground, and was looking to address this by becoming a founding member of a fair cobalt alliance.

She noted that artisanal cobalt mining could be done legitimately, but that action was required to eradicate child and bad labour practices.

“We must be mindful [that moving] towards a low-carbon economy does not inadvertently widen inequality,” she emphasised.

Krutikov also touched on clean technology as part of a transition strategy. She noted that one of the barriers to this was access to the resources needed for these technologies.  

For example, she said that when pursuing an energy transition, there would be a material uplift in the demand for metals, and especially copper, cobalt and zinc, as these were required for new energy systems.

She noted that the demand for copper was expected to double by 2050, while cobalt demand would quadruple.

Therefore, this led to the question of where this metal would come from. While recycling could play a key role and this could help bolster this industry, Krutikov said it would not be enough to meet demand.

She indicated that it would become more challenging going forward, as new mines for these resources were increasingly located in areas that posed significant social and environmental dilemmas.

Krutikov emphasised that it was important to ensure that companies did not lose sight of these considerations, and rather, ensured that these went hand in hand with enabling access to new metals needed for the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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