Korea Zinc Subsidiary KZAM Makes First Supply of Copper Foil for Batteries, Enters North American Market

Passed Quality Certification of Global Battery Manufacturers
Up to 40 Billion Won in Expected Revenue
Establishing a Resource Circulation Value Chain from Eco-Friendly Copper to Copper Foil

Korea Zinc's secondary battery materials subsidiary, KZAM, has begun mass-producing and supplying copper foil for batteries. By processing eco-friendly copper—produced by Korea Zinc using recycled raw materials—into copper foil, KZAM has entered the global battery supply chain. This move also marks the full-scale integration of its secondary battery materials and resource circulation businesses.

Korea Zinc's secondary battery materials subsidiary, K-JAM, has started mass-producing copper foil for batteries and supplying it to global customers since June this year. Korea Zinc

On August 13, Korea Zinc announced that since June 2026, KZAM has been mass-producing copper foil for batteries and supplying it to global battery manufacturers.

Copper foil for batteries is a material produced by thinly rolling copper, and is used as the anode current collector in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS). As a key material that affects the energy density, charging performance, and lifespan of batteries, it can only be supplied after passing customers' rigorous quality certifications.

KZAM has enhanced process stability and product quality based on the smelting technology and expertise Korea Zinc has accumulated over more than 50 years. The company explained that, through this supply, it has met its customers' quality standards and proven its competitiveness in the global battery-grade copper foil market.

KZAM expects to generate up to 40 billion won in revenue from this battery copper foil supply. Moving forward, the company plans to further expand its operational rate and performance by stabilizing production, improving yield rates, and securing new customers.

The copper foil supplied by KZAM is set to be installed in batteries produced in North America. With this, KZAM aims to establish a foothold in the North American battery supply chain and to expand its business into major EV and ESS markets.

Since the inauguration of Chairman Choi Yun-Bum at the end of 2022, Korea Zinc has positioned the secondary battery materials business as one pillar of its new business strategy, 'Troika Drive' (renewable energy, secondary battery materials, and resource circulation), and has continued to invest in and conduct research and development for mass production of copper foil for batteries together with KZAM.

In particular, this supply deal has also enabled Korea Zinc to establish a value chain linking its resource circulation business with the secondary battery materials business. In this system, its U.S. resource circulation subsidiary, Pedal Point, secures secondary raw materials, which are recycled at the Onsan smelter to produce eco-friendly copper. This copper is then processed into copper foil by KZAM and supplied into the battery supply chain.

A Korea Zinc official said, "This supply marks a significant starting point for KZAM's entry into the global battery supply chain as well as the realization of tangible results from Korea Zinc's new battery materials business. Going forward, we will continue to expand our differentiated battery materials operations based on our smelting technology and resource circulation competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.