Performance
ISAE 3000 assurance report
Independent Assurance Report to the directors of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited on selected sustainable development performance data
For the purposes of this report, the Group comprises Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited and the entities they control as at 31 December 2008 (hereafter "Rio Tinto").
We have been engaged to provide limited assurance on selected sustainable development performance data (the "selected data") included in the Sustainable development section of Rio Tinto's Annual report for the year ended 31 December 2008.
The selected data were chosen by Rio Tinto after considering the sustainable development risks that it assessed as material to the Company and after considering the areas of high importance identified by Rio Tinto management.
The selected 2008 data consists of the following:
- Total greenhouse gas emissions
- Total energy use
- Total freshwater withdrawn
- Number of fatalities
- All injury frequency rate
- Lost time injury frequency rate
Respective responsibilities of the directors and PricewaterhouseCoopers
The directors of Rio Tinto are responsible for preparing the selected data based on the Rio Tinto Criteria for reporting on sustainable development performance indicators (the "Reporting criteria"). The Reporting criteria are available on Rio Tinto's website at http://www.riotinto.com/ourapproach/.
Our responsibility is to express a conclusion on the selected data based on our procedures. The procedures selected depend on our judgment, including an assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the selected data.
We read other information included within the Sustainable development section in the Annual report and consider whether it is consistent with the knowledge obtained through our procedures. We consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent material inconsistencies with the selected data. Our responsibilities do not extend to any other information. Historic data has not been subject to assurance.
This report, including the conclusion, has been prepared for Rio Tinto to assist the directors in reporting Rio Tinto's sustainable development performance. We consent to the inclusion of this report within the Annual report to enable Rio Tinto's members to verify that the directors have discharged their governance responsibilities by commissioning an independent assurance report in connection with the selected data. We do not accept or assume responsibility for our work or this report to anyone other than the directors as a body and to Rio Tinto save where terms are expressly agreed and with our prior consent in writing.
Inherent limitations
Non financial performance information is often subject to more inherent limitations than financial information, given the characteristics of the subject matter and the methods adopted for the definition and gathering of information. There are no generally accepted reporting standards applicable for sustainable development performance information. Qualitative interpretations of relevance, materiality and the accuracy of data are subject to individual assumptions and judgments. It is important to read the data in the context of Rio Tinto's Reporting Criteria.
Assurance work performed
We conducted our assurance engagement in accordance with International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 (Revised) - "Assurance Engagements other than Audits and Reviews of Historical Financial Information" issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board ("ISAE 3000"). Our procedures applied to the selected data primarily comprised:
- Making enquiries of relevant management of Rio Tinto
- Evaluating the design of the key processes and controls for managing and reporting the selected data
- Testing, on a selective basis, the preparation and collation of the selected data prepared by the management of Rio Tinto
- Undertaking analytical procedures over the reported data
- Reviewing a sample of relevant management information including reports to Rio Tinto's Committee on social and environmental accountability.
A limited assurance engagement is substantially less in scope than a reasonable assurance engagement under ISAE 3000. It excludes procedures such as testing controls effectiveness and corroborative data testing.
Conclusion
On the basis of our procedures, nothing has come to our attention which causes us to conclude that the selected data for the year ended 31 December 2008 have not been prepared in all material respects in accordance with the Reporting criteria.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Liza Maimone, Partner
Melbourne
6 March 2009
Liability Limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation
