Silver: Emissions
How recycling cuts silver's footprint by two-thirds
How recycling cuts silver's footprint by two-thirds What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 448 t CO2e per t range 142 (Aurubis 2025, 51% recycled content) to 448 (ecoinvent 2021 global average); 196 in Nuss & Eckelman 2014 · cradle-to-gate, global average, economic allocation Global emissions per year 12.0 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 26,000 t mine output x 448 t CO2e/t (indicative; highly sensitive to how by-product emissions are allocated)Per t of refined silver; cradle-to-gate, global average with economic allocation among co-products. Intensity: ecoinvent 2021 as cited in Aurubis Environmental Fact Declaration Silver 2025; Nuss & Eckelman 2014 (indicative). Global total: USGS MCS 2026; ecoinvent 2021 via Aurubis.
Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | most of the total; no published split | – | diesel and grid power at lead-zinc, copper and gold mines; grinding and flotation | Because silver is mostly a by-product, its share of mine emissions depends on its share of mine revenue. Higher silver prices raise the share allocated to silver. | Aurubis EFD 2025 (economic allocation); no phase split found |
| Refining / processing | significant: lead and copper smelting, anode-slime treatment, electrolytic refining | – | smelter fuel and power, reagents | Smelters with clean power report much lower figures, as Aurubis's 142 t CO2e/t shows. | Aurubis EFD 2025 |
| Movement | small: about 6 t CO2e/t for 10,000 km by air (indicative calculation) | – | concentrate shipping by sea; bars by air | Around 1% of the total (indicative). | Indicative calculation using DEFRA freight factors |
| Usage | none directly | – | silver in solar cells enables low-carbon power | Solar took about 16% of 2025 demand; silver is an enabler of avoided emissions, not an emitter. | Silver Institute 2026 |
| Recycling / end of life | much lower than primary; no standalone global figure found | – | melting and refining of silverware, jewellery, electronics and photographic scrap | Thin, dispersed uses such as solar pastes are rarely recovered; EU end-of-life recycling input rate is only 4%. | Aurubis EFD 2025 (recycled content effect); EU CRM 2023 |
Other environmental impacts
Silver mines share the impacts of base-metal mining: tailings, acid drainage and water use. Artisanal silver-gold mining in Latin America uses mercury.
Levers to cut emissions
- Low-carbon power at smelters and refiners: Aurubis's 2025 footprint was 142 t CO2e/t versus a 448 global average
- Higher recycled content, which was 51% in Aurubis's 2025 silver
- Electrified mining fleets at the base-metal mines that supply most silver
- Design solar panels and electronics for silver recovery
India
Hindustan Zinc mined 687 t in FY2025, making India a top producer, but its Rajasthan smelters rely largely on captive coal power, with renewable contracts being added (company reports, indicative). India's much larger imports carry the footprint of Mexican, Peruvian and Chinese supply.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.