Copper is among the three most used metals in the world, and high quantities of the red metal must be mined every year to meet global demand. Copper is the second best metal for conducting electricity after silver - that’s why 75% of copper is used in electrical wires or for wiring in machinery. From power grids to motherboards, copper wire is indispensable to modern society.

The market for copper is equal to approximately $120 billion each year, which rivals that of even iron ore, the most widely traded metal. This is because infrastructure, technology, and automobiles consume massive amounts of copper.

Copper is also essential for green energy and a sustainable future. For example, each generation of car needs more copper wiring: a gasoline-powered car needs 25 kg, while hybrids and electric vehicles need 50 Kg and 75 Kg respectively. Further, it is estimated that an average of 3.6 tons of copper is used for each MW of wind power.

The problem is that copper is not being discovered fast enough to meet upcoming demand. A study by Wood Mackenzie found that there will be a 10 million ton supply deficit by 2028. That’s equal to the annual production of the world’s biggest copper mine (Escondida) multiplied by a factor of ten.

There are several reasons for this.

First, it now takes longer to go from discovery to production than ever before in the mining industry. Geological, environmental, and political challenges have brought the average lead time to around 20 years for new mines.

Copper mining is all about grade or scale. The majority of global output comes from mega mines that have massive economies of scale to reduce costs. However, it has been a long-running trend that the grades for these established mines are dropping.

A good example of this is Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine which is located in Chile. It produced 6% of global copper output in 2014, but the mine is facing a similar problem to that of other large copper projects: grades are dropping. In 2007, the copper grade was 1.72%, but it is predicted to drop to half of that in upcoming years.

Codelco is the world’s largest copper miner overall, and has recently announced a $25 billion investment plan to expand aging mines. It will spend $5 billion each year, but it expects no significant gain in production for its efforts.

South Africa will be at a greater disadvantage

Countries like South Africa will face an even greater disadvantage from the copper crunch since major copper-consuming countries with financial resources will have preferential access to copper reserves, leaving little to meet the demands of first-world consumers. In order to prevent a potential apocalypse by 2035, South Africa must safeguard its copper resources, as most of its copper mines will have closed by then and the remaining reserves will not be sufficient to meet the country's needs, making purchasing from other countries almost impossible.

Copper, which is now the most important metal, needs to be regarded as a precious resource, as we are already running short of it. Copper theft further exacerbates the situation, and failure to address this problem decisively will result in a high cost for everyone. Therefore, we must protect copper that is vulnerable to theft at all costs, as the stolen copper cables may not be replaced in the future, leading to a scenario where some people have access to electricity while others do not.

We need to use our copper resources to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure, buildings, roads, transport, and agricultural facilities. We must abandon the mindset of destruction, as it is not normal to destroy what we have struggled to build. It is imperative that we explore new mining opportunities before all existing copper mines in South Africa gradually fade away.

Imagine a copper theft solution that makes copper permanently identifiable. This would involve permanently marking the copper with a unique identifier that can be traced back to the original owner.

The advantages to using permanently identifiable copper

It will deter theft: Permanently identifiable copper can act as a deterrent to potential thieves. If they know that the copper is marked and can be traced back to the owner, they may be less likely to steal it.

It will help recover stolen copper: If copper is stolen, the unique identifier can be used to track it down and recover it. This can be especially useful for businesses that have large amounts of copper on site.

It will reduce black market sale: Permanently identifiable copper can also reduce the sale of stolen copper on the black market. Buyers may be less likely to purchase marked copper, as they know it can be traced back to the original owner.

It will save money: Copper theft is an enormously expensive problem for South Africa, with estimates of R7 billion rand in direct loss and R187 billion in downstream losses. Using permanently identifiable copper will help to reduce the cost of replacing stolen copper and repairing any damage caused by the theft.

Using copper that is permanently and indelibly identifiable can provide many benefits for South Africans. It can help to deter theft, recover stolen copper, reduce black market sales, and save money.

Truth is, such a solution already exists, and it has been developed and patented in South Africa by CableDNA. It is impossible to remove the identification from the copper and it the solution is fire resistant and impervious to granulation. This solution is busy changing the copper theft and illegal resale theft landscape from Australia to Costa Rica.

This technology helps to deter thieves, recover stolen copper, reduce black market sales, and save money. It is a true South African success story that is making a difference worldwide.

CableDNA is an electrical cable theft prevention company based in South Africa.