Case study: Marcobre - Mina Justa

A strong commitment to responsible mining and continuous improvement

The mining site Mina Justa, located on Peru’s southern coast, was awarded The Copper Mark in April 2024. An achievement which aligns seamlessly with the ambitious sustainability strategy of owner Marcobre. However, the assurance process still proved intensive and challenging. No fewer than 256 actions were implemented in order to meet the 32 criteria of The Copper Mark. “Earning The Copper Mark truly confirms our strong commitment to our purpose and responsible operations,” says Angela Ruiz de Somocurcio, Legal, Compliance and Permits Manager at Marcobre.?

Following lengthy preparations and four years of construction, Mina Justa commenced operation in 2021. The brand-new copper mine encompasses open-pit extraction, processing facilities for both oxide and sulphide plants (including crushing, grinding, flotation and tailings), as well as the shipment of copper concentrates and cathodes. Right from the very start, sustainability was a top priority in terms of planning and design, says Angela Ruiz de Somocurcio. In fact, adherence to the highest global sustainability standards was a decisive condition for the financing of the 1.7-billion-dollar project.

?Pipeline supplying seawater

A notable feature in this respect is the 40-kilometre-long pipeline supplying seawater from the Pacific Ocean to the mine. “This means we are not using regular drinking water – which is a scarce commodity in Peru – in the production process. In fact, before the mine’s construction began, Minsur (one of our shareholders) initiated a significant water infrastructure project in nearby Marcona.”

?“We knew about The Copper Mark’s strong global reputation as an independent assurance network in which continuous improvement plays a major role”

Step by step towards The Copper Mark

Given Marcobre's sustainability strategy, pursuing The Copper Mark was a logical progression for Mina Justa. “We knew about The Copper Mark’s strong global reputation as an independent assurance network in which continuous improvement plays a major role. One of our leading clients would often mention The Copper Mark during meetings as well.” In April 2023, Marcobre sent the letter of commitment to the Copper Mark for Mina Justa, expressing the intention to participate. What followed was an intensive internal assessment process to establish the extent to which the mine already met the requirements for the 32 criteria, divided into the focus areas: Business and Human Rights, Community, Labour and Working Conditions, Environment, and Governance. This yielded a comprehensive action plan with 256 points of attention for obtaining The Copper Mark.

Intensive external assessment

In January 2024, Mina Justa was ready for an independent external assessment. “A very challenging process,” says Angela Ruiz de Somocurcio. Over four days, the assessors visited all operational areas, reviewed documents and records, held face-to-face meetings with managers and their teams for each criterion, interviewed 63 workers and contractors at the mine site, and spoke with ten external stakeholders, including representatives from community associations, local media, labour unions, fishing cooperatives, oversight committees, and government bodies.

?Continuous improvement

The final outcome of the external assessment confirmed that Mina Justa was able to meet the stringent requirements. In April 2024, The Copper Mark was officially granted, though five of the 32 criteria were only partially met and still required further action by the mine. Angela Ruiz de Somocurcio: “For that reason, we have drawn up a strict improvement plan with 56 concrete actions. In this way, we want to ensure that we fully meet all The Copper Mark criteria within 12 months,” something that will be independently assessed again when Mina Justa has implemented its measures.

“Most importantly our staff believe that The Copper Mark perfectly aligns with the purpose of our company”?

Getting our people on board

“Having The Copper Mark positively impacts our reputation,” concludes Angela Ruiz de Somocurcio. “The Copper Mark is a very well-known assurance framework, not only internationally but also with the local authorities here in Peru and with our customers. Most importantly though, our staff believe that The Copper Mark perfectly aligns with the purpose of our company: ’We improve life by transforming minerals into well-being’. We want to improve every day and do things the right way.”

Marcobre hopes to serve as an example for other Peruvian mines. Together with four other mining sites in Peru that have achieved The Copper Mark, the company is clearly leading the way. Combined, the five mining sites account for over 30 percent of all copper production in Peru. Angela Ruiz de Somocurcio’s advice for companies that are considering participation in The Copper Mark for their mining sites is that there has to be a real desire to go for it. “Achieving this requires significant effort from the entire company. Not only for a successful assessment, but also for the ongoing continuous improvement that follows.”