La Compagnie de Traitement des Rejets de Kingamyambo SA (Metalkol), a subsidiary of Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), the global metals and mining company, has announced that the Metalkol site was recently awarded The Copper Mark, becoming the first ever mining tailings processing operation to achieve this recognition.
It says the award confirms that Metalkol’s operations meet internationally recognised ESG standards for responsible copper production. As one of the world’s largest standalone cobalt suppliers, Metalkol also produces this critical mineral under the same standards.
The Copper Mark is a leading voluntary third-party assurance framework that verifies responsible
production practices across the copper, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc industries. It provides
external validation of a site’s performance and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, the ILO Conventions, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), the
OECD Minerals Guidance and ICMM Principles.
Located in Lualaba Province in the DRC, Metalkol is a leading copper and cobalt producer specialising in the processing of historic mining tailings. Its operations support the sustainable recovery of minerals from the Musonoi River Basin and Kingamyambo, contributing to progressive environmental restoration and the economic and social development of local communities.
The framework evaluated Metalkol against 33 ESG criteria, including but not limited to:
- Environmental management including climate risk mitigation and tailings management;
- Governance, business integrity and transparency;
- Human rights, health and safety labour practices and working conditions; and
- Transparent engagement with stakeholders, including communities.
This achievement forms part of a continuous performance improvement cycle with periodic
reassessments. Valid for three years, it requires regular performance monitoring to ensure
continued progress.
Davron Vakhabov, CEO of ERG Africa, commented: “Obtaining The Copper Mark at Metalkol
reflects our commitment to operating responsibly and transparently. For ERG Africa, producing
copper and cobalt in accordance with global best practices is based on three essential principles:
responsibility, traceability and credibility at origin. This means focusing not only on where
minerals come from, but also on how they are produced. Combined with recognised standards,
independent audits and a continuous improvement approach, these elements are essential to
strengthening trust throughout the value chain.”
Leonid Tuzenko, ERG’s Head of Copper and Cobalt Sales, added: “Despite the challenging
conditions in the cobalt market in 2024/25, achieving The Copper Mark for Metalkol site
demonstrates ERG’s long-term commitment to supporting our key customers across the entire
value chain, including global battery manufacturers and electric vehicle producers, by providing
them with responsibly and sustainably produced cobalt. The Copper Mark also helps to
streamline ESG-related due diligence for customers in our established copper markets, including
China, the Middle East, and Europe, while strengthening our access to the US market.”
“This is the first tailings processing operation to earn The Copper Mark. Metalkol’s achievement
underlines how our assurance framework can be successfully applied at diverse sites across the
value chain,” said Michèle Brülhart, Executive Director of The Copper Mark.
The award provides tangible recognition of the practices implemented on Metalkol site and helps
align operational performance with the expectations of financing partners, customers and end
users. It also demonstrates ERG Africa’s ongoing commitment to transparency and continuous
improvement, while reinforcing the DRC’s role in global critical metals supply chains through the
sector’s growing alignment with international standards.
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