Prysmian reports that it has agreed to a long-term contract with Aurubis—a global provider of nonferrous metals and the largest copper recycler worldwide—for the supply of copper wire rod.

A press release said that the agreement will see Aurubis provide a significant and incremental year-over-year volume of copper wire rod. It noted that Aurubis is the largest European vertically integrated manufacturer of copper wire rod. The pact will cover the needed supply of copper wire rod, particularly for Prysmian’s European plants, ensuring coverage of the current business and growth prospects.

“Our companies are connected by their strong commitment to integrating sustainability in our business strategies and our role as enablers of the energy transition and digitalization process,” said Prysmian Chief Purchasing Officer, Laura Colli.

The partnership is in line with Prysmian’s ambition to be a global player with a leading role in the challenges of decarbonization. Prysmian is committed to an overall net-zero target along the entire value chain by 2050 and to reducing Scope 3 emissions by 28% by 2030 compared to the 2019 baseline. Prysmian has also publicly disclosed an ambitious target related to the share of recycled copper content, with the goal of reaching 15-16% by 2025.

Aurubis is pursuing a dedicated sustainability strategy and is committed to becoming carbon neutral well before 2050. The multimetal company produces copper with less than half the global average carbon emissions and intends to further reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% and Scope 3 emissions by 24% per ton of copper cathodes by 2030. The company offers comprehensive value chain solutions for the circular economy and produces rod with almost 40% less CO2 than the global average.

“This contract stems from a more than 25-year strategic partnership between Prysmian and Aurubis distinguished by best-in-class performance when it comes to sustainability, product, delivery timing, and quality of service in the supply of a raw material that is becoming increasingly important for the future of Prysmian’s business growth,” said Martin Sjoberg, SVP Commercial at Aurubis.