Leveraging Recycled Copper to Propel Sustainable and Green Development in Copper Foil Industry

On April 24, at the CCIE 2025 SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference & Copper Industry Expo – Secondary Copper Industry Green Development Forum, hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., SMM Metal Trading Center, and Shandong Aisi Information Technology Co., Ltd., with Jiangxi Copper Corporation and Yingtan Land Port Holdings Co., Ltd. as the main sponsors, Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd. as the special co-organizer, and Xinhuang Group and Zhongtiaoshan Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd. as co-organizers, Xie Houyuan, the procurement director of Shenzhen Londian Wason Technology Co., Ltd., shared her views on the topic of "Application of Secondary Copper by Copper Foil Enterprises."

1. Overview of Recycled Copper

Global Trend of Resource Reutilization

Resource Conservation and Cost-Sensitive Scenarios: Shortage of Primary Copper Resources, Demand for Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement.

Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Requirements: Low-Carbon Industry Fields, Energy-Intensive Industries.

Policy-Driven Scenarios: Mandatory Recycling Policy Coverage, International Trade Compliance Requirements.

Specific Performance Demand Scenarios: Integrated Circuit Boards, Communication Cables, etc.; Medical Devices, Aerospace, Military Industry.

Forms of Recycled Copper

Physical Forms: Block/Strip (Copper Pipe & Tube, Copper Plate, Copper Billet); Wire/Cable Copper; Copper Scrap/Powder.

Chemical Forms: Pure Copper (Copper Cathode), Copper Alloy; Copper Oxide/Copper Compounds, Copper-Plated Materials.

Utilization Methods of Recycled Copper

Direct Reuse: Directly Processed into New Copper Semis (e.g., Copper Billet, Copper Wire). Used in Construction, Power Equipment Maintenance or Replacement. Advantages: No Need for Smelting, Low Cost and Energy Consumption.

Smelting and Regeneration: Smelted and Cast into Copper Ingots (e.g., Copper Anode Plate). Used in Producing Copper Wire, Copper Pipe & Tube, Copper Alloy, and Other Basic Materials.

High Value-Added Deep Processing: High-Purity Copper Semis. Used in: 3D Printing Metal Powder, Copper Foil for the Electronics Industry, Copper Clad Laminate (CCL), NEV Battery Connectors, etc.

Compound Extraction: Preparation of Copper Sulphate, Copper Oxide, and Other Chemical Products. Used in Agricultural Fungicides, Industrial Catalysts.

Technical Routes and Costs of Recycled Copper

Current Status and Technical Challenges of Recycled Copper

Future Breakthrough Directions:

• Intelligent Sorting - Improvement in Utilization Rate; Innovation in Green Financial Tools - Expansion of the Breadth and Depth of Recycling; International Standard Alignment - Global Coordination and Policy Support;

It is expected that by 2030, the industry concentration will increase to over 60%.

2. Development of the Copper Foil Industry and Copper Foil Applications

High-precision Copper Cathode Products & Downstream Applications

►Copper Foil Production Process

High-precision copper cathode refers to a foil-shaped product produced on the surface of a cathode roller through electrolysis, using a copper sulphate solution formed by chemical reactions from copper with a purity of over 99.9%.

►Copper Foil Applications

Copper foil is divided into lithium battery copper foil and electronic circuit copper foil, used in the negative current collector of lithium-ion batteries and the manufacturing of electronic circuits, respectively.

►Impact on New Energy Development

The thickness and performance of lithium battery copper foil directly affect the energy density and safety of lithium batteries. For example, ultra-thin copper foil can increase the energy density of lithium batteries by 5%-11%, which is of great significance for the driving range of NEVs.

Copper Foil Capacity and Market

It also provides an introduction to the copper foil capacity and market.

Future Development of Copper Foil

►Ultra-thinning Trend: To enhance profit margins and meet client demands, the development of ultra-thin copper foil will continue to advance. It is expected that by 2025, the market share of <6μm copper foil shipments will increase to 50%.

►Increasing Demand for Consumer Electronics: The booming development of AI and the low-altitude economy has increased the demand for the localisation of high-end copper foil, such as high-frequency and high-speed copper foil, leading to increasingly stringent requirements for production processes and copper foil technology.

►Strengthened Industry Chain Collaboration: Collaboration among upstream equipment suppliers, midstream foil manufacturers, and downstream battery plants and automakers will help accelerate product R&D and promotion, improving the efficiency of the entire industry chain.

►Continuous Growth of NEVs: From 2025 to 2030, the proportion of new NEV sales in China will increase from 25% to 40%, driving rapid growth in the power battery market.

►Increasing Demand in the ESS Market: In 2024, the growth rate of shipments in the global and Chinese ESS battery markets both exceeded 70%, indicating a significant increase in the growth rate of the ESS market.

Technical Requirements for Copper Foil in Terms of Copper Semis

Use copper raw materials that surpass the technical specifications of GB #1 copper cathode:

1. #0 copper cathode: Copper content ≥99.99%, with extremely high purity

2. #1 copper cathode: Copper content of 99.95%

3. #2 copper cathode: Copper content of 92%-93%

4. Imported copper: Registered and unregistered.

3. Application of Secondary Copper in the Copper Foil Industry

Technical Specifications That Secondary Copper Must Meet in the Copper Foil Industry

Equivalent to #0 and #1 copper cathode:

Purity: Meets the requirements for electrical conductivity and high-end copper foil production.

Impurity content: Requirements for electrical conductivity and high-end copper foil production.

Efficient copper dissolution method: The shape of copper semis determines production efficiency and improves process adaptability.

Form of copper semis: Copper rod, copper plate, or copper wire nodules (cannot be mixed).

Certification requirements for secondary copper recycling

4. Summary

The utilization of secondary copper is an inevitable choice for resource recycling and green manufacturing; a must for low-carbonization and sustainable development; and a fundamental requirement for future global market expansion.

Industry development:

1. Breakthroughs in recycling technology: High-purity, alloy technology, and low-cost recycling;

2. Supportive recycling policies and improvement of recycling systems;

3. Process optimization by producers and industry chain cooperation.

In addition, it provides an introduction to the overview of Londian Wason (Shenzhen) Holding Group Co., Ltd., its global capacity and market share, the layout of its production sites in China & their applications, and research institutions that conduct research concurrently with future studies.