Business integrity
We undertake Rio Tinto's business with integrity, honesty and fairness at all times, building from a foundation of compliance with relevant local laws and regulations and international standards.
In April 2003 we issued a Business integrity guidance which offers guidance to Group managers who implement our policies on business integrity and political involvement. The guidance was issued to comply with relevant legislation, to confront dilemmas faced, and to improve still further our performance.
We support free and fair competition. We promote the rule of law and the Group's high standards wherever we are in the world. We have introduced a compliance programme that all Group businesses are required to put in place. This is based on a continuously developing system of training, monitoring and procedural checks and balances.
Bribery in all its forms is prohibited. We neither promise, offer nor accept bribes or anything which could be taken for one, either directly or indirectly.
We make payments only for legitimate business services and at a rate that reflects their market value. We work with business partners, representative agents and intermediaries after making them aware of Rio Tinto's policy and being satisfied that they will not make unauthorised payments indirectly on the Group's behalf.
We disclose any material transaction or relationship that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest, but strive to avoid them. Gifts and entertainment are offered or accepted only for conventional social and business purposes and then only at a level appropriate to local circumstances.
A web-based on-line employee training module has been developed for Business Integrity and for certain categories of employee it is a compulsory training requirement from 2005.
The process of buying goods and services and engaging contractors, procurement, includes the alignment of their work at our business with our policy and practices and sources goods from suppliers whose products and practices meet our policy and management approach.
The social and environment performance of a company is increasingly taken into account by investors in their decision whether to provide investment capital. This is reflected in the increasing focus on Socially responsible investment (SRI)
For more information
SRI
Engaging with investors
Communicating with shareholders
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