Copper is central to the energy transition, with rising demand in electric vehicles, power infrastructure, and electronics. This course delivers a fast, practical introduction to the copper industry, covering the full value chain and key market fundamentals. But it goes further than just the basics—attendees will also explore current trends and pressing issues shaping the sector today.

From demand growth in green technologies to questions around long-term supply adequacy, the course equips participants with the tools and data needed to understand and analyse copper market dynamics. It’s backed by nearly 60 years of CRU insight, robust data, and industry expertise, ensuring the most up-to-date view of the copper landscape.

The course covers the full copper supply chain—from mining and smelting to fabrication and recycling. It blends industry fundamentals with current challenges like supply risk, regulatory pressures, capital intensity, and long project lead times. Demand prospects look strong, driven by electrification and energy transition, but can supply keep up? With ore grades declining and mine reserves depleting, even maintaining output requires significant effort. If supply lags, markets will adjust through price and substitution.

The course explores these critical dynamics using CRU’s in-depth market data and expert analysis, helping participants understand not only how the industry works—but how it’s evolving in response to new pressures.

Copper supply is under pressure. This session looks at the growing challenges facing the mining industry—from falling ore grades and aging assets to water shortages and long permitting timelines. Even in top producing countries like Chile, significant investment is needed just to maintain output. High capital costs and social and environmental hurdles make new supply difficult to bring online. These constraints raise serious questions about how copper supply will meet accelerating demand.

This module helps participants understand why the copper mining sector must “run hard to stand still,” and introduces key tools for analysing future supply scenarios. It also sets the stage for discussions on technology and recycling as part of the broader solution

Secondary copper—or recycled material—plays a key role in balancing copper supply. With primary production facing increasing constraints, recycling is expected to become even more important. This session breaks down the structure and complexity of the secondary market. Although copper has a high recycling rate (~60%), scrap only accounts for about 30% of supply. Why? Long product lifetimes delay scrap availability, and recovery rates vary by end use. Understanding the lag between copper consumption and scrap generation is essential to forecasting future secondary supply.

This module explores these dynamics and how recycling might evolve in response to tightening primary supply, helping participants assess both challenges and opportunities in the circular copper economy.