consumables as secondary to energy. This can underestimate the role of wear parts and reagents and overlook location effects. Also, policies such as the CBAM [7] are moving from voluntary transparency to regulated compliance, reinforcing the need for auditable, site-specific accounting. Within this context, this study applies ISO-aligned LCA as a practical way to make Scope 3 visible and actionable in mineral processing plants. The approach used clear gate-to-gate boundaries, a functional unit of 1 tonne of concentrate, and three main emissions drivers – electricity, wear materials and reagents – together with a Scope 3 data hierarchy that prioritises supplier-specific information. The complete inventories, EFs, results and sensitivity analyses are shown in Tables 1–5 and Figures 2–4. Across the three flowsheets, electricity dominates where power demand and grid intensity are high, while wear materials and reagents remain meaningful contributors in all cases. In copper, electricity accounts for most of the total intensity; in iron and lithium, where grids are less carbon-intensive, wear and reagents together represent nearly half of emissions. Sensitivity analyses further show that electricity EFs and grinding energy have the strongest influence on the result, supporting continued attention to electricity sourcing and comminution efficiency. These outcomes are consistent with broader industry experience that Scope 3 can dominate residual emissions and needs to be managed systematically. The results also highlight why changes should be assessed at flowsheet level. Increasing liberation through more aggressive grinding may raise media/liner consumption, and reducing reagent dosage may inadvertently increase embedded emissions if replacement chemicals are from more carbon-intensive supply chains. Evaluating such options within a shared LCA boundary helps avoid burden-shifting and supports decisions that reduce overall kg CO2e per tonne of concentrate while maintaining metallurgical performance. Finally, the study identifies three practical levers for continuous decarbonisation. Improving electricity quality through location-specific factors, PPAs, or onsite renewables remains a major opportunity where grids are carbon-intensive. Consumables can be decarbonised through supplier-specific data, recycled content, extended wear life and circular programs for take-back and remanufacture. Reagent use can be refined by optimising dosage and sourcing. Together, these actions align with emerging disclosure and embedded emissions rules and position LCA not only as a reporting tool but also as operational decision aid. 6. IMPLICATIONS AND NEXT STEPS – FROM RESULTS TO DEPLOYMENT The World Mining Congress calls for faster, smarter and more responsible ways to deliver the minerals the world needs. This paper proposes a deployable, system-optimised pathway: use ISO-aligned LCA as a common language for process engineers, procurement teams, and suppliers, so Scope 3 can be measured and reduced alongside energy efficiency. The method is already in use in this study and can be repeated for other plants and commodities using the same tables and figures as templates. For concentrators similar to the three cases, the immediate priority is to make consumables and 218
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