Chile's Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, is developing a free-to-use platform for suppliers to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), a service the company said is not currently available in the mining industry.
The project, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Alta Ley Corporation and the Association of Industrial Mining Suppliers (Aprimin), aims to measure, manage, and minimize the carbon footprint of the sector's inputs and products, Codelco said.
The ultimate goal is that the tool, to be up and running in the second half of the year, help miners to favour those suppliers that have the lowest footprint and emissions.
"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 Aprimin's executive director Sergio Hern??ndez.
The copper giant, which hands over all profits to the Chilean state, has set up ambitious environmental goals. These include cutting its emissions by 70%, reduce inland water consumption by 60% and recycling 65% of its industrial waste by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2050.
Codelco's latest bid to ride the sustainability wave comes amid increasing global pressure from governments and environmental groups on miners.
Customers are also demanding products with a lower carbon footprint as mounting scientific evidence points to emissions as the main drivers of climate change.