Elcowire Rail GmbH Lichtlöcherberg 40 06333 Hettstedt Germany
www.elcowire.com
Elcowire Rail GmbH • PO Box 1045 • 06321 Hettstedt
To our Business Partners
Customer information: ESD, Environmental Self-Declaration
Hettstedt, 17.04.2025
Elcowire Rail GmbH and the entire Elcowire Group are committed to reducing CO2 emissions in order to make an important contribution to achieving climate goals.
Copper is the central material for Elcowire. Elcowire Rail GmbH primarily produces contact wires and stranded wires made from various copper materials for use in overhead contact line systems:
- pure copper (Cu-ETP)
- copper-silver alloy CuAg0.1
- copper-tin alloys CuSn0.1 (Valthermo) and CuSn0.2
- copper-magnesium alloys CuMg0.2 and CuMg0.5
Elcowire Rail determined the carbon footprint for these various product and material groups. It quickly became clear that the majority of the resulting carbon footprint is determined by the copper pre-material. The logical consequence of this is to exert influence precisely at this point: to identify copper producers whose cathodes have a CO2 value significantly below the global average.
This is precisely what Elcowire has done: by selecting appropriate copper cathode suppliers, Elcowire is able to offer two additional options in addition to products made from standard copper:
- LCC copper (Low-carbon Copper): Copper whose CO2 emissions have been reduced primarily through electrification and automation of various process steps. More efficient ore concentration processes and a green energy mix can also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
- 100% recycled copper: The basis here is a copper cathode with a very low carbon footprint, as it is made from 100% recycled raw materials. The use of renewable energy in the cathode manufacturing process can further contribute to the low CO2 value.
Based on the three different copper categorizations (standard copper, LCC copper, and 100% recycled copper), so-called Environmental Self-Declarations (ESDs) were created. These self-declarations of environmental aspects of Elcowire Rail GmbH's products include the CO2 equivalent as a key result.
Figure 1 schematically illustrates the process for developing the self-declaration (ESD) – beginning with the collection of data on all raw materials, products, services, and energy sources used in the manufacturing process.
Elcowire Rail GmbH
Lichtlöcherberg 40 | DE-06333 Hettstedt
Geschäftsführer/Managing Director Paul Gustavsson
Fig. 1: schematic development path of the Environmental Self-Declaration (ESD)
This data is incorporated into a corresponding LCA model, resulting in a life cycle assessment (LCA), which represents a systematic analysis of potential environmental impacts and energy balance throughout the entire life cycle. The Environmental Self-Declaration (ESD) forms the final report.
The normative basis for the Environmental Self-Declaration is compliance with the LCA standards ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006. The documents also comply with ISO 14021:2016, an international standard that establishes guidelines for self-declaration of environmental performance of products and services. System boundaries are equal to EPDs (Environmental Product Declaration) produced in accordance with the standard EN 15804+A2
These declarations highlight key attributes, including recycled content, recyclability, resource efficiency, and regulatory compliance, so our customers can understand the sustainability profile of Elcowire's copper products. With these assessments, we aim to support valid, environmentally conscious purchasing decisions and strengthen green initiatives. Our commitment to ESDs emphasises Elcowire's commitment to promoting responsible and sustainable practices in copper production and throughout our supply chains.
Tab. 1: Overview of currently available ESDs and product variants with reduced
Contact Wire CuSn0,2 ESD-013 (45% recycled) 2,17 kg CO2e/kg Cu
Stranded Wire
Stranded Wire CuMg (CuMg0,2 – CuMg0,5)
Stranded Wire CuSn0,2
Elcowire Rail GmbH
Lichtlöcherberg 40 | DE-06333 Hettstedt
Geschäftsführer/Managing Director Paul Gustavsson
ESD-015 (45% recycled) 2,53 kg CO2e/kg Cu
ESD-016 (45% recycled) 2,24 kg CO2e/kg Cu
(100% recycled) 1,70 kg CO2e/kg Cu
ESD-020 (100% recycled) 1,76 kg CO2e/kg Cu
The given table (Tab. 1) shows which ESDs from Elcowire Rail GmbH are available for the three different product group and material combinations (standard copper, LCC copper, and 100% recycled copper).
A total of 10 different ESDs are currently available (ESD Nos. 11 to 20). The table also lists the determined CO2 emission value and the proportion of recycled copper to be considered.
The ESDs are available for download on the Elcowire Rail GmbH website (link: ESD Rail - Elcowire) The Environmental Self-Declarations are currently only available in English.
As a further explanation of the self-declarations, the mass balance approach, which is used here as the technical basis for calculating ESDs, will be addressed. Elcowire cannot separate process flows for the individual copper variants. Such separate processes, e.g., for 100 % recycled copper, starting from the cathode to the final product, would lead to increased scrap generation, lower plant utilization, and ultimately higher energy consumption. Instead, a mass balance is applied, which is based on the quantity of incoming copper cathodes being equal to the quantity of the corresponding outgoing product. Thus, the cathodes available from each supplier are categorized before production begins: standard copper, low-carbon copper, and 100 % recycled copper. The quantities of cathodes assigned to the three categories are recorded. Even though the variants are inevitably mixed in the casting furnace, it is possible to allocate equal amounts of standard copper product, low-carbon copper product, and product made from 100 % recycled copper to the resulting products (Fig. 2).
By utilising the mass balance, it is thus possible to provide copper products with the low carbon footprint of a product made from recycled copper or LCC copper, as needed. The sustainability properties such as carbon footprint and recycled content are considered independently and do not affect the physical properties such as chemical analysis and mechanical properties.
Paul Gustavsson CEO
Elcowire Rail GmbH
Lichtlöcherberg 40 | DE-06333 Hettstedt
Geschäftsführer/Managing Director Paul Gustavsson