| EN1 |
Material use other than water, by type |
- Energy use
Rio Tinto's businesses use energy for mining, milling and smelting operations, electricity generation, transport and other support functions. The total energy use for the Rio Tinto Group in 2005 was 246 petajoules (PJ).
- Land Access
- Footprint
Rio Tinto's footprint includes all land disturbed for mining, processing and related activities, including rehabilitated land. In 2005, 26% of the 1,459 square kilometres disturbed by our activities had been rehabilitated (2005 SD review, Land Access, page 33).
- Materials
Rio Tinto procurement deals with most business units to facilitate procurement of a number of commodities. Due to the diversity of our operations, we have reported only consumables of significant quantities. Examples include:
- Ammonia/ 2,029,518 tonnes
- Caustic Soda/ 162,666 tonnes dry material
- Explosives/ 477,000 tonnes
- Lubricants/ 24,478,724 litres
- Soda Ash/ 16,375 tonnes
- Sulfuric Acid/ 798,109 tonnes
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| EN2 |
Percentage of materials used that are wastes (processed or unprocessed) from sources external to the reporting organization. |
- We expect to increase our use of material derived from wastes external to the organisation. Currently the percentage of this material is negligible compared to the total amount of materials used by Rio Tinto. We have collected case study information to illustrate our use of secondary materials:
- New Zealand Aluminium Smelter commenced buying back extrusion scrap from a domestic customer in 2002. The scrap is reprocessed on site, with 3,407 tonnes being recycled in 2005, exceeding the target of 2,825 tonnes. Recycling aluminium requires only 5 per cent of the electricity needed to produce the original primary aluminium and also significantly reduces CO2 emissions. Please refer to local Sustainable Development Report.
- Tarong/1318ML /Uses blowdown water (water bled from the cooling system) from the Tarong power station (owned by QLD government)
- HIsmelt®/ 566ML/ Recycled waste water from Kwinana Water Reclamation Plant (KWRP) is intended to be the primary source of process water for the HIsmelt operation. It is significantly treated to a level of 40-50mg/L TDS.
- Kestrel/ 365ML/ Mine affected water from the Crinum mine (BHP) is imported to wash coal at no cost to RT as it is a waste from the BHP mine. The water is piped 5km between the operations.
- We also report on recycling/reuse of waste generated at our operations. Recycling is also discussed in the context of product stewardship.
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| EN3 |
Direct energy use segmented by primary source |
- The Total energy use for the Rio Tinto Group in 2005 was 246 petajoules (PJ). Rio Tinto uses a range of energy sources to run mobile and stationary equipment used in mining operations, for milling and smelting processes, for electricity generation and to transport materials between operations and customers. The dominant energy sources at our operations are purchased electricity and fuels, such as diesel and fuel oils, and coal.
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| EN4 |
Indirect energy use |
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| EN5 |
Total water use |
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| EN6 |
Location and size of land owned, leased, or managed in biodiversity-rich habitats. |
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| EN7 |
Description of the major impacts on biodiversity associated with activities and/or products and services in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. |
- For an organisation of the scale of Rio Tinto, operations produce a variety of impacts both major and minor. Our biodiversity strategy aims to achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity. Our response to GRI indicator number MM3 shows that 80% of our operations have had some form of biodiversity assessment and that 28% have biodiversity management plans. Impacts on biodiversity are described in a series of case studies. As we continue to conduct biodiversity management plans at all sites we expect to be able to provide a fuller description of our major impacts. Please see our Biodiversity Strategy for more information.
- We also report on land used for our activities and quality and receiving environments of water returned to the environment.
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| EN8 |
Greenhouse gas emissions |
- The total greenhouse gas emissions from Rio Tinto's operations in 2005 were 27.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Please see our web pages for more information on Greenhouse gas emissions
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| EN9 |
Use and emissions of ozone depleting substances |
- Rio Tinto reports on greenhouse gas emissions produced on site as well as on indirect emissions that may come about.
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| EN10 |
NOx, SOx, and other significant air emissions by type |
- Other air emissions
- NOx emissions
Investigations in 2005 into NOx emissions indicated that there are an insignificant number of operations that may contribute NOx emissions to airsheds resulting in significant air quality impacts.
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| EN11 |
Total amount of waste by type and destination |
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| EN12 |
Significant discharges to water by type |
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| EN13 |
Significant spills of chemicals, oils, and fuels in terms of total number and total volume |
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| EN14 |
Significant environmental impacts of principal products |
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| EN15 |
Percentage of the weight of products sold that is reclaimable at the end of the products’ useful life and percentage that is actually reclaimed. |
- Rio Tinto is engaging with various trade associations to address life cycle considerations as part of our Product Stewardship Strategy. We are committed to better understand and quantify data as research in these areas continues. At present RT believes that for its major products, except coal, at least 50% of the products are recycled.
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| EN16 |
Incidents of and fines for non-compliance with all applicable international declarations/conventions/treaties, and national, sub-national, regional, and local regulations associated with environmental issues. |
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| EN23 |
Total amount of land owned, leased, or managed for production activities or extractive uses |
- Land used for mining, processing and related activities
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