Low carbon aluminium vs copper: Who’s really paying the premium? | Market Briefing with Laura Roberts and Laura Varriale

Fastmarkets

Sep 23

In the latest episode of Fastmarkets’ Market Briefing podcast, Laura Varriale, regional editor for base metals covering Europe, Africa and the Middle East, speaks with Laura Roberts, strategic markets...

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One of the best stock trading platforms in Singapore.","ogImage":"https://c1.itigergrowtha.com/portal5/static/media/og-logo.0a0bd8dc.png","ogUrl":"https://sg1.tigeractivity.com/news/2669486229"},"companyName":"Tiger Brokers"},"pageData":{"isMobile":false,"isTiger":false,"isTTM":true,"region":"SGP","license":"TBSG","edition":"fundamental"},"isCrawlerRequest":true,"__swrFallback__":{"@#url:\"https://stock-news.skytigris.cn/v3/news\",params:#id:\"2669486229\",edition:\"fundamental\",auth_exemption:1,,,undefined,":{"share":"https://ttm.financial/m/news/2669486229?lang=en_US&edition=fundamental","thumbnail":"","is_english":true,"pubTime":"2026-09-23 12:00","share_image_url":"https://static.laohu8.com/e9f99090a1c2ed51c021029395664489","id":"2669486229","market":"fut","top_or_hot":-1,"title":"Low carbon aluminium vs copper: Who’s really paying the premium? | Market Briefing with Laura Roberts and Laura Varriale","media":"Fastmarkets","content":"<div>\n<p>In the latest episode of Fastmarkets’ Market Briefing podcast, Laura Varriale, regional editor for base metals covering Europe, Africa and the Middle East, speaks with Laura Roberts, strategic markets...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/low-carbon-aluminium-vs-copper-whos-really-paying-the-premium-market-briefing-with-laura-roberts-and-laura-varriale/\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"fastmarkets_highlight","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>Low carbon aluminium vs copper: Who’s really paying the premium? 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| Market Briefing with Laura Roberts and Laura Varriale\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2026-09-23 12:00 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/low-carbon-aluminium-vs-copper-whos-really-paying-the-premium-market-briefing-with-laura-roberts-and-laura-varriale/><strong>Fastmarkets</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>In the latest episode of Fastmarkets’ Market Briefing podcast, Laura Varriale, regional editor for base metals covering Europe, Africa and the Middle East, speaks with Laura Roberts, strategic markets...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/low-carbon-aluminium-vs-copper-whos-really-paying-the-premium-market-briefing-with-laura-roberts-and-laura-varriale/\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"COPJ","symbol_name":"SPROTT JUNIOR COPPER MINERS ETF","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/low-carbon-aluminium-vs-copper-whos-really-paying-the-premium-market-briefing-with-laura-roberts-and-laura-varriale/","article_id":"2669486229","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":[],"rights":{"source":"fastmarkets_highlight","url":"https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/low-carbon-aluminium-vs-copper-whos-really-paying-the-premium-market-briefing-with-laura-roberts-and-laura-varriale/","rn_cache_url":null,"directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2669486229","pubTimestamp":1790136000,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"fastmarkets_highlight","name":"Fastmarkets"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"In the latest episode of Fastmarkets’ Market Briefing podcast, Laura Varriale speaks with Laura Roberts about how low-carbon aluminium and copper markets are evolving, what drives premiums, and whether buyers are truly willing to pay more for greener metal.","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"fastmarkets.com","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"COPJ":"SPROTT JUNIOR COPPER MINERS ETF","BK4535":"淡马锡持仓","CPXR":"USCF DAILY TARGET 2X COPPER INDEX ETF","ICOP":"iShares Copper and Metals Mining ETF","XME":"金属与采矿指数ETF-SPDR","COPP":"Sprott Copper Miners ETF","UYM":"基础材料指数ETF-ProShares两倍做多","CPER":"美国铜指数基金"},"translate_title":"低碳铝与铜： 谁真正付出了代价？| Laura Roberts 和 Laura Varriale 的市场简报","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"ICOP":1.5,"COPP":1.5,"COPJ":1.5,"CPXR":1.5,"MHGmain":1.5,"XME":1.5,"UYM":1.5,"QCmain":1.5,"CPER":1.5},"content_text":"In the latest episode of Fastmarkets’ Market Briefing podcast, Laura Varriale, regional editor for base metals covering Europe, Africa and the Middle East, speaks with Laura Roberts, strategic markets editor for base metals, about how low-carbon aluminium and copper markets are evolving, what drives premiums, and whether buyers are truly willing to pay more for greener metal.\n\nWhat qualifies as low-carbon metal?\nOne of the biggest challenges in both markets is the lack of a universal definition of what “low carbon” actually means.\nFastmarkets defines low-carbon aluminium as material produced with a maximum carbon footprint of four tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of aluminium. This is significantly below the industry average, which can reach as high as 13 tonnes depending on the energy source used during production.\nFor copper, Fastmarkets recently launched a European low-carbon copper cathode assessment using a threshold of 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of cathode produced. Producers offering material with even lower emissions can command higher premiums in the market.\nWhy aluminium has a head start\nLow-carbon aluminium is a much more mature market. Fastmarkets has assessed low-carbon aluminium premiums since 2021, but trading activity existed well before then as sustainability became an increasingly important consideration for both producers and consumers.\nAs Laura Roberts explains, aluminium’s high energy intensity and recyclability have made sustainability a key focus for the industry. This has helped create a market where consumers are already familiar with paying a premium for lower-carbon material.\nCopper, meanwhile, is still developing. While producers and consumers are increasingly discussing low-carbon copper, trading volumes remain relatively small and are concentrated primarily in Europe. Laura Varriale describes the current market as being at a similar stage to where low-carbon aluminium was when Fastmarkets first began assessing premiums.\nSustainability goals are driving demand\nDespite differences in maturity, both markets are being supported by similar demand drivers.\nAutomotive manufacturers, cable producers and other industrial consumers are increasingly focused on reducing emissions across their supply chains. Companies with net-zero targets are paying closer attention to life-cycle assessments, emissions transparency and the carbon footprint of the materials they purchase.\nLarger companies in particular are building sustainability requirements directly into procurement decisions. Producers that can clearly document their emissions profile are often better positioned to secure premiums than those that cannot.\nSupply constraints continue to support premiums\nOne reason low-carbon aluminium continues to attract premiums is limited availability.\nMuch of the world’s lowest-carbon aluminium is produced using hydropower, concentrating supply in regions such as Canada, Iceland and New Zealand. Not every producer has access to these renewable energy sources, creating natural constraints in the market.\nCopper faces fewer supply constraints today, but largely because the low-carbon market is not yet as developed. Most transactions are currently agreed through long-term contracts rather than spot purchases, reflecting a market that is still establishing itself.\nAre buyers willing to pay more?\nThe discussion suggests the answer is increasingly yes.\nFor aluminium, low-carbon premiums sit on top of regional aluminium premiums and fluctuate according to supply, demand, brand and origin. Strong demand from sustainability-focused consumers has supported these premiums for several years.\nCopper premiums can be even more substantial. Laura Varriale notes that low-carbon copper cathodes can trade more than $100 per tonne above conventional material, particularly for units with exceptionally low emissions.\nImportantly, both speakers note that long-term contracts remain the preferred purchasing mechanism for many consumers, helping to support premium pricing structures while providing supply security.\nHow CBAM is influencing aluminium\nA key difference between the two markets is regulation.\nAluminium is covered by the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while copper is not. The policy effectively places a carbon cost on certain imported products entering Europe, with the goal of encouraging lower-emission production.\nHowever, Laura Roberts explains that the impact is more complex than many anticipated. Aluminium emissions are heavily influenced by electricity use, or Scope 2 emissions, while CBAM focuses primarily on direct Scope 1 emissions. This means the policy does not always align perfectly with the market’s definition of low-carbon aluminium.\nAs a result, buyers seeking genuinely low-carbon material may still face both CBAM-related costs and separate low-carbon premiums.\nWhat comes next?\nBoth speakers expect demand for low-carbon metals to continue growing.\nElectrification, renewable energy projects, electric vehicles, AI infrastructure and data centers are all expected to increase demand for metals while also placing greater emphasis on emissions reduction.\nFor aluminium, the market is likely to continue building on its established foundations. For copper, the coming years will be critical in determining whether low-carbon cathodes follow a similar path toward broader adoption and more transparent pricing mechanisms.\nThe key question is no longer whether low-carbon metals command a premium. As Laura Varriale and Laura Roberts discuss, the real question is how many buyers will decide that lower emissions are worth paying for.\nListen to the full episode:\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\tNever miss an episode of Fast Forward\t\t\t\n\n\nSubscribe to Fast Forward, your definitive podcast for the critical minerals and battery raw materials markets. Each episode, we’re diving headfirst into the latest trends, market buzz and game-changing technologies that are shaking up this ever-changing landscape.\n\n\n\n\t\t\tSubscribe to the podcast","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":false,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"isVideo":false,"video":null,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"need_login_tip":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"}}}