Essex Furukawa To Participate In The Copper Mark’s Semis-Fabricator Pilot

ATLANTA, GA – Essex Furukawa has expanded its relationship with The Copper Mark, the only comprehensive social and environmental assurance program for the copper industry, to join as semis-fabricator partners committed to participate in a pilot program.

The partnership aligns with Essex Furukawa and its Vision 2030 to meet the Accountability, Reporting, and Governance petal as well as Supply Chain Transparency of its holistic sustainability program.

According to Austin Robinson, Sustainability Project Manager for Essex Furukawa, participation in the pilot program aligns with the social sustainability aspects of the Vision 2030 program.

“There are things that are simply fundamental to our decision making and this project with The Copper Mark is among them,” she said. “Brian Kim, our CEO, set out the charge to use sustainability as our driving force and we are doing exactly that.”

To ensure its standards and assurance framework can be implemented by fabricators, The Copper Mark is conducting this pilot program in the next year to meet the following objectives:

• Ensure a smooth expansion of the Assurance Process to fabricator sites.
• Better understand current practices of fabricators and existing certification systems The Copper Mark can build on.
• Inform the development of training and guidance materials for fabricators.

Michèle Brülhart, Executive Director of The Copper Mark, said, “We are delighted that all our semis-fabricator partners have committed to participate in our 2021/2022 pilot scheme. Organizations are becoming increasingly conscious of the imperatives of promoting and adopting responsible production and sourcing practices. Our partners’ participation in the pilot scheme will help to further promote awareness, understanding and adoption of responsible practices throughout the copper value chain.”

There are two phases for which The Copper Mark and Essex Furukawa will work together in this process.

Phase 1: Self-Assessment. This phase will run from October 2021 to March 2022.

Phase 2: Assurance Process. This phase will run from April 2022 to December 2022.

Copper Mark aims to provide Essex Furukawa, as well as other participants in achieving five key aspects:

• Ability to assess how The Copper Mark Standards apply to the Essex Furukawa’s operation without either a formal or financial commitment
• Provide the opportunity to familiarize with The Copper Mark Assurance Process
• Demonstrate leadership by receiving The Copper Mark prior to the formal launch for fabricators
• Help shape the future of The Copper Mark assurance framework to ensure relevancy for fabricators
• Engage closely with The Copper Mark on challenges and obstacles in a solution-oriented manner

“Being able to further advance our sourcing, sustainability, and external partnerships like those with The Copper Mark all positively impact Vision 2030 as well as Essex Furukawa and the entire copper industry,” Robinson said. “While it is far from the finish line for the task at hand for Essex Furukawa, it is a tremendous step in the direction of Vision 2030 achieving its leadership position in the industry.”

About Essex Furukawa

Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire LLC is the leading, global provider of magnet wire that is used by most major OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and industry leaders in the automotive, energy, industrial, and commercial & residential sectors. The Atlanta-based company is a global joint venture formed in 2020 between Essex Magnet Wire and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., both leaders in magnet wire product development, and custom solutions. The combined entity, relying on the strengths of both Essex Magnet Wire and Furukawa Electric, draws on more than two centuries of combined experience and knowledge to push forward innovation while also remaining focused on delivering manufacturing excellence and outstanding customer service. For more information, visit essexfurukawa.com.

About The Copper Mark

The Copper Mark is an assurance framework available for the copper industry to demonstrate its responsible production practices and its contribution to the United Nations SDGs. The Copper Mark offers a comprehensive system that addresses 32 environmental, social and governance issues related to the responsible production of copper, using the Responsible Minerals Initiative’s (RMI) Risk Readiness Assessment. Initially developed and funded by the International Copper Association (ICA), The Copper Mark is incorporated as an independent entity headquartered in the United Kingdom. For additional information visit, coppermark.org.