en.Wedoany.com Reported - Germany's non-ferrous metals supplier Aurubis AG Chief Operating Officer (COO) Inge Hofkens stated at the World Mining Congress 2026 that by 2035, metal recycling could supply up to a quarter of the global copper needed to meet the demand growth driven by the energy transition and electrification.
Hofkens pointed out that the copper industry is facing a widening supply-demand gap. Currently, approximately 5 million tons of copper globally come from recycled materials, and she expects that by 2035, an additional 2.5 million tons of secondary copper will be needed to partially meet market demand.
"We can no longer view recycling merely as a sustainability issue; it has become a strategic supply concern," Hofkens told global mining representatives in Lima.
Recycling offers a time advantage over developing new mining projects: new projects typically take 12 to 15 years from exploration to production, while investments in recycling infrastructure can be completed in a shorter timeframe.
As one of Europe's largest copper producers and a global leader in multi-metal recycling, Aurubis currently processes approximately 1.1 million tons of recycled materials annually. Over the past few years, the company has invested more than $1.5 billion, with the majority allocated to expanding recycling capacity and recovering critical metals.
However, Hofkens warned that the main challenge is no longer the availability of recycling technology, but ensuring access to recyclable materials. "Demand exists, and capacity exists. What we need is to get these materials into the recycling system," she said.
Hofkens believes that the concept of "urban mining" will become increasingly important to supplement the supply from new mine operations. "All these materials have been mined before. Now we must ensure they re-enter the value chain and are reused," she concluded.
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