Essex Furukawa Continues Commitment To Sustainability, Partners With Copper Mark

ATLANTA, GA – Superior Essex has completed an agreement to become the eighth corporate partner of The Copper Mark, the only comprehensive social and environmental assurance program for the copper industry.

The partnership aligns with the corporate sustainability goals of Superior Essex, and its recently announced Vision 2030 for the Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire brand, to responsibly source raw materials being used in its magnet wire products. Superior Essex Communications, one of the world’s leading producers of communication cabling, has been a leader in sustainability since 2011 and is also working to significantly reduce their products impacts by seeking responsibly sourced materials in collaboration with their copper suppliers.

The Copper Mark is an assurance framework used to demonstrate the copper industry’s responsible production practices and industry contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  This assurance framework assesses copper producers against a set of responsible production criteria that is comprised of 32 different environmental, social, and governance “issue areas” associated with the sourcing of minerals and metals.  The Copper Mark sets to establish sound management practices that are derived from the requirements of voluntary sustainability standards that are commonly used in the minerals and metals supply chains.

Superior Essex, Global Vice President of Strategic Sourcing, Scott Wilde said that aligning responsible sourcing of materials is paramount in achieving the goals of the company, as well as meeting the needs of business partners.

“This partnership is a victory from all sides of our business operations,” he said. “As our CEO, Brian Kim, recently launched his Vision 2030 commitments, we took this as a challenge to be forward thinking with green production and improving our product from the source which is a major step in the right direction. Additionally, this commitment showcases the ways that our sourcing and sustainability efforts can work hand in hand within the organization as well as outside of it.

“The external achievements are also powerfully aligned as many of our partners have been shifting their values surrounding sustainability and this ensures that we can be part of their solutions. And finally, being one of the early adopters of The Copper Mark highlights our belief in what can be done to make something like magnet wire and communication cabling with lower impacts.”

The Copper Mark assesses the management practices of copper mines, smelters and refiners in categories that include human rights, labor and working conditions, community, environment and overall governance, including transparency, disclosure and business integrity. Companies’ processes are measured against norms defined in a Risk Readiness Assessment created by the Responsible Minerals Initiative, made up of more than 380 cross-industry companies.

“Superior Essex and its commitment to sustainability and responsible production of its copper is key to our partnership,” Michèle Brülhart, executive director of The Copper Mark, said. “We are proud to have a global corporation within the magnet wire and communication industry committed to responsible sourcing working with us as we move forward.”

Annie Bevan, Global Head of Sustainability for Superior Essex, said that having all sides able to put forward a joint statement shows the power of Vision 2030, The Copper Mark, and the future of Superior Essex.

“There is no hyperbole in saying that it is an incredible achievement in having sourcing, sustainability, and external partnerships like those with The Copper Mark all aligning,” Bevan said. “While it is far from the finish line for the task at hand for Superior Essex, it is a tremendous step in the direction of Vision 2030 to be accomplishing this and we look forward to continuing our journey in reducing our impacts in our products and company for years to come.”

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.