Can Gold Investment be Environmentally Sound?
The pursuit of gold usually means digging up large areas of land or tunnelling deep under the earth. At least that’s the typical view of the process. If gold is produced by mining, how could it possibly be environmentally sound?
Precious metals from waste
One way is to recover the gold used in electronics, catalytic converters and industrial processes. This gold has already been extracted from the earth and used in small amounts in things such as computer chips, in mobile phone and numerous other devices. The reason that gold is used in these systems is that it creates better electric connections as it barely tarnishes in comparison to other metals.
Many of the products would traditionally have been heading for landfill, but with the growing concerns around electronic waste, and the rising price of gold, it is now worth recycling these items to get hold of the precious metals inside. One company that undertakes this is the Belgian based Umicore.
Umicore – gold bullion from recovered metals
Umicore Precious Metals Refining operates the world's most sophisticated precious metals recycling facility. They recover 20 precious and non-ferrous metals from industrial residues, used electronic scrap, automotive and industrial catalysts and fuel cells. The gold removed from this process is often sold as gold bullion.
Available in weights from 1g up to 100g, the new Umicore range launched at the beginning of 2017.
The range includes attractive packaging that includes a bar number on the gold bar that matches the one on the enclosed certificate, a hologram that protects against forgery and transparent moulding that shields the gold bar from potential damage or extraction.
Recycled gold – lower environmental impact
Obviously, the recycling of materials still carries an environmental footprint, but modern technology including wind power can offset some of the energy used in recovering the metals. Regardless of this, the recovery and recycling of metals prevent these electronic objects and the potentially polluting chemicals they release as they degrade being dumped in potentially unstable landfill sites, as well as having a significantly lower environmental impact than fresh mining activity.
If you would like to know more about Umicore Gold Bullion, why not get in touch with the team at The Gold Bullion Company. Our friendly team will be happy to discuss your needs.
