CDA's Director of Sustainability to Speak on Standardizing Sustainability Metrics for Copper at EMC & ENSURE Conference

Jessica Sanderson, CDA's sustainability leader, will highlight why "material choice defines performance, supplier choice refines impact" for LCA practitioners, ESG professionals, and specifying audiences.

MCLEAN, Va., April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Copper Development Association (CDA) has announced that its Director of Sustainability, Jessica Sanderson, will present at two upcoming conferences:

• ENSURE (Environmental Sustainability Through Waste and Recycling), taking place April 13–15, 2026, at the Four Points by Sheraton Wakefield Boston Hotel & Conference Center in Wakefield, Massachusetts; and
  
  
• EMC (The Environmental Markets Conference), taking place April 27–30, 2026, at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In both sessions, Sanderson will introduce CDA's "Define and Refine" framework, which offers a comprehensive approach to comparing copper's sustainability with that of other materials.

Emphasizing that aligning recycled content comparisons and scrap carbon accounting is essential for credible sustainability metrics, her presentations will outline how material selection establishes key sustainability attributes, such as durability and recyclability. Sanderson will also show how supplier practices influence environmental impact through consistent reporting and clear boundaries.

"Material choice defines the sustainability performance of the system," says Sanderson, "while supplier selection refines the impact."

Her presentations will be grounded in two recent CDA publications: "Recycled Content in Copper: Practical Definitions for Real-World Applications"; and "CDA Scrap Accounting Guidance: Ensuring Consistency in Product Carbon Footprints." Together, these resources establish a clear semi-fabrication casting boundary for recycled content and recommend a consistent cut-off approach for business-to-business, product carbon disclosures.

In her presentations, Sanderson will share how CDA and its U.S. semi-fabricator members have:

• aligned on a common methodology for calculating and disclosing recycled content and scrap accounting in copper products;
  
  
• developed guidance to help ensure clarity, comparability, and credibility in environmental data;
  
  
• Published the "Continuous Copper" resources focused on standardizing recycled content and providing scrap accounting guidance to support more consistent environmental product declarations (EPDs) and life cycle assessment (LCA) based reporting.

Her presentation will show how inconsistent methods can yield misleading comparisons of recycled content. For instance, classifying internal scrap differently can lead to major discrepancies in reported recycled percentages for similar material flows. Sanderson will share CDA's tools and templates for consistent, accurate reporting.

"We've made real progress standardizing recycled content and scrap reporting across U.S. semi-fabricators," Sanderson says. "Now, our goal is to help sustainability practitioners and engineers understand what's behind the data so that copper can be compared fairly with other materials. Getting the methodology right is key to making informed material choices."

Her remarks will connect these approaches to priority sectors, including data centers, power infrastructure, and the built environment.

"We want the sustainability community that writes the rules, especially the LCA practitioners and standards bodies, to see the work the copper industry has already accomplished," Sanderson adds. "Our goal is to ensure copper is evaluated on a level playing field, so designers, specifiers, and procurement teams have environmental data that is truly comparable and useful for making decisions."

To learn more about how copper powers more sustainable progress across energy, infrastructure, and technology, visit the Copper Development Association's #ContinuousCopper page.

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About CDA

Copper Development Association Inc. (CDA) is a U.S.-based not-for-profit association of the global copper industry, bringing together North American copper and copper alloy semis fabricators and the global copper mining and production industries. CDA is committed to promoting the proper use of copper materials in sustainable, efficient applications for business, industry, and the home.

Agency Contact

Katie Walker
T: (616) 795-3391
E: [email protected]

SOURCE Copper Development Association