BHP and Amazon have launched a pilot programme to recognise lower greenhouse gas emissions in the copper supply chain, linking production from BHP’s Escondida mine in Chile with Amazon’s technology infrastructure.
The initiative will test the purchase and sale of Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) associated with copper concentrate and cathodes produced at Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine.
The operation uses renewable electricity and desalinated water, while its copper supports applications across energy infrastructure, digital systems and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, including circuit boards, chips, interconnects and cooling components.
Under the pilot, BHP will issue EACs representing recognised emissions-related attributes associated with copper production. Amazon will be able to purchase and retire these certificates against greenhouse gas emissions attributed to copper used across its power, cooling and computing supply chains.
The approach aims to address a key challenge in commodity supply chains: tracking environmental attributes as physical copper moves through smelting, refining, fabrication and manufacturing. By separating these attributes from the physical movement of the metal, the initiative seeks to create a mechanism for connecting producers of lower-emissions copper with end users seeking verifiable environmental credentials.
BHP group sales and marketing officer Michiel Hovers said the initiative could improve transparency and help reward producers for better environmental performance.
As global copper demand increases, customers are placing greater emphasis on supply security and credible, verifiable sustainability attributes. Hovers said the pilot could establish a practical pathway for connecting lower-emissions copper producers with end users, including Amazon, whose cloud infrastructure relies on copper across complex supply chains.
The companies will assess eligibility criteria, governance arrangements and safeguards to ensure the certificates are verifiable, traceable and protected against double counting.
The pilot forms part of BHP’s broader efforts to address emissions across its operations and downstream supply chains. The company is pursuing several approaches, including lower-emissions steelmaking technologies and the electrification of mining equipment.
At Jimblebar in Western Australia, BHP is testing battery-electric haul trucks and plans to trial Caterpillar’s Dynamic Energy Transfer technology during the 2027 financial year. The system is designed to charge electric trucks while they are moving, potentially reducing productivity losses associated with stationary charging.
BHP has also extended its decarbonisation partnership with China Baowu Steel for a further five years, covering modified blast furnaces and emerging hydrogen-based direct reduced iron and electric smelting furnace technologies.
Through the copper pilot, BHP and Amazon are exploring how environmental attributes can be recognised and transferred beyond the mine gate. The initiative could help establish new approaches to emissions transparency and sustainability verification in global copper supply chains, as demand grows for materials supporting electrification and digital infrastructure.