"For all energy-intensive sectors, including the copper-processing industries, the energy prices, which are still high by international standards, have had and continue to have direct and in some cases serious consequences," says Rolf Werner, Chairman of the Executive Board of Kupferverband e.V. At the same time, the copper industry is also recording significant declines in orders across almost all major customer sectors. In addition, decarbonization would require considerable financial and organizational expenditure.
"In order to create reliable framework conditions that can be assessed in the long term, the Copper Association is seeking "close cooperation with the Wirtschaftsvereinigung Metalle," Werner said. Overall, the decline in production in the copper industry is continuing. In the first half of 2023, the German copper industry recorded a production decline of twelve percent compared to the same half of the previous year, to 673,000 tons.