Webinar: Copper at a Crossroads: Substitution Potential, Barriers and Supply Pathways to 2050

Join the Metallurgical Society for their Webinar: Copper at a Crossroads: Substitution Potential, Barriers and Supply Pathways to 2050.

About this event

This engaging webinar synthesises recent research to determine if and how copper can be meaningfully substituted as global demand rises.

The presentation will review 50 years of substitution history (≈40% of historical demand growth met by substitutes), current technical substitutability (≈70% of 2023 copper use could be replaced with proven alternatives), and why record prices over the past 15 years have not produced widespread substitution—pointing to strong non‑price barriers (product trust, thin commercial incentives, and consumer preference for copper).

Finally, 2050 scenarios will be examined to show roughly +28 Mt/a of copper demand and two supply responses: ramp copper production aggressively, or maximise aluminium substitution (a cheaper, faster option with comparable environmental impact but which pushes substitution to its limits).

The webinar will translate these findings into implications for producers, refiners, OEMs and policy makers, and explore practical commercial and policy levers to manage risk and opportunity through 2050.

Join us online to find out more!

Speaker/s

Martin Lynch

Metallurgy and Supply Chain Researcher

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Martin Lynch holds a BE Chemical from The University of Queensland and worked at Rio Tinto from 1990 to 2002, in various operational and corporate roles. He then consulted in the mineral industry for six years before moving on to owning a small business selling and installing renewable energy systems. Martin is the author of several books, notably 'Mining In World History', published in 2002. Martin is the son of Emeritus Professor Alban Lynch.