Tin: Emissions
How recycled tin slashes the carbon footprint
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 5.90 t CO2e per t range 2.5-17 · cradle-to-gate, ITA global industry average for 2024; 2.5 is Aurubis Beerse 100% recycled tin, 17.1 is the older ecoinvent-based estimate Global emissions per year 2.20 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · 5.9 t CO2e/t x 371,200 t refined tin (derived, indicative)Per t of refined tin ingot (cradle-to-gate: mining, concentration, smelting and refining). Intensity: ITA global average 2024 as cited in Aurubis EFD Tin 2025; Nuss & Eckelman 2014 (indicative). Global total: ITA; derived.
Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | not published separately | – | diesel dredges and gravel pumps on placers, diesel and grid power at hard-rock mines | Placer mining moves large volumes of sand and water for little cassiterite; grades below 1% Sn are common, so energy per tonne of tin is high | ITA LCA 2023 (reference year 2018/19) covers this stage but stage results are not public |
| Refining / processing | not published separately | – | coal or coke as reductant, furnace fuel and electricity for smelting and refining | Smelting with carbon releases process CO2 directly; refining by heat or electrolysis adds power demand. Most smelting is in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Peru on fossil-heavy grids | ITA LCA 2023; content_v2 methods |
| Movement | small, likely under 5% (indicative) | – | concentrate trucked from Myanmar to Yunnan; ingot shipped by container | Tin is high value and low volume, so freight is a minor part of its footprint | indicative |
| Usage | not applicable | – | no direct emissions in use | Tin enables electronics, solar inverters and food packaging; lead-free solder avoids lead toxicity rather than CO2 | content_v2 uses |
| Recycling / end of life | about 2.5 t CO2e/t for 100% recycled tin, about 57% lower than the 5.9 t average | – | electricity and transport for remelting and refining solder dross and scrap | EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 31%; dispersed uses such as chemicals and solder on boards are hard to recover | Aurubis EFD Tin 2025; EU CRM 2023 |
Other environmental impacts
Offshore and onshore placer mining on Bangka and Belitung (Indonesia) has left thousands of flooded pits and damaged seabed and coral; artisanal mining in Myanmar and eastern DR Congo raises conflict and labour concerns (Pitron 2020; tin is one of the EU and US conflict minerals, 3TG).
Levers to cut emissions
- Raise recycled content: recycled tin at Aurubis Beerse is about 2.5 t CO2e/t versus a 5.9 t industry average (Aurubis EFD 2025)
- Switch smelter electricity to low-carbon supply; Aurubis attributes its 2025 cut mainly to lower electricity emissions
- Replace coal reductant with lower-carbon reductants or hydrogen in smelting (early stage, no sourced figures)
- Rehabilitate placer pits and formalise artisanal mining to cut land and seabed damage
India
India imports about 12,100 t of tin a year, almost all from Indonesia, so its embodied tin footprint is about 70,000 t CO2e a year at the 5.9 t average (derived from ITA 2023 trade and the ITA 2024 average); domestic mining and smelting in Chhattisgarh are negligible (IBM 2022).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.