Due to its very good electrical conductivity, copper is a central raw material for the production of batteries. Although the raw material can be recycled several times without loss of quality, more than half of the copper used in Germany comes from primary production. These come to a large extent from South American mines – and are mined there by corporations that are repeatedly criticised for human rights violations and environmental damage.
In the publication ‘Copper – When conductivity becomes conductivity’, we use visualizations, statistics and quotations to show why the raw material urgently needs to be included in the amended Battery Ordinance. This project was funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. Funding is provided by decision of the German Bundestag.
