International Copper Study Group Research Articles

Estimating the function of copper consumption in Iran between 1991- 2011 using Johansen model

This study aims to estimate the function of copper consumption using the Johansen approach in time series data, between 1991-2011 in Iran. The literature review of specialized consumption and demand functions shows factors influencing the consumption of copper including copper price variables, aluminum price as a substitute commodity, oil price as a complementary commodity, and industrialization intensity. For this purpose, raw data from the World Bank and International Copper Study Group, were used to extract the initial data needed for the current study, and then research variables were calculated and applied in a seasonal manner. In the next stage, using vector autoregressive, Johansen cointegration test, and vector error correction model, the existence of long-run cointegrated equilibrium relationship was surveyed by vector error correction model. Model estimation results show that there is a positive correlation between between industrialization intensity variable and the price of substitute product (Aluminum) and copper consumption ratio Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between copper prices and complementary commodity price (Oil), during the review period in Iran. It should be noted that aluminum and copper prices can impact the copper consumption, and an awareness of this can influence making copper sales contracts domestically and abroad.

Assessing the recycling efficiency of copper from end-of-life products in Western Europe

Recognizing that the recycling of copper and its alloying elements is often not well documented or fully understood, this paper quantifies the end-of-life recycling efficiency rate of copper using the copper flow model developed by the International Copper Study Group (ICSG). The model is complemented by results from a flow study for Western Europe in 1999. The ICSG model is based on a simultaneous use of a “Lifetime Approach” (based on historical end use data and average product lifetimes), an “End-of-Life Approach” (based on reported, measured or estimated end-of-life product flows) and a “Scrap Balance Approach (based on reported scrap use data). The “Lifetime Approach” predicts a copper reservoir in use of ∼78 million tonnes of copper and alloys for Western Europe. For 1999, it was estimated that the copper scrap availability and the old scrap recovery amounted to ∼2.7 million tonnes and ∼1.6 million tonnes of copper and alloys, respectively. The corresponding end-of-life recycling efficiency rate for end-of-life copper and copper alloy products in Western Europe in 1999 was estimated to be around 63% in the end-of-life approach, 64% in the lifetime approach, and 67% according to the scrap balance approach excluding outflows to other metal loops, and 69%, 70%, and 73%, respectively, including all identified outflows to other metal recycling loops.