Gold has been used for many thousands of years as a store of value and for decoration. Rio Tinto produces gold at several operations worldwide, more than half as a by product of copper mining.

The principal use of newly mined gold is in jewellery, with smaller amounts going into dentistry, electronics, ceremonial coins and medals. The value of gold, however, is determined by the total stock of gold in the world, not just the newly mined production.

The demand for gold for fabrication has grown at around 3.5 per cent a year over the past decade, showing particularly strong growth in Asia where a combination of cultural traditions and weak financial systems add to gold's attraction.

Gold occurs in very low concentrations in the earth's crust and to recover it large amounts of rock have to be moved and the waste material carefully managed. Additional problems arise from the fact that part of the world's production comes from small scale, labour intensive mines with very poor environmental practices and that gold is sometimes recovered using chemicals of concern such as cyanide and mercury.

While there is a limit to what large producers like Rio Tinto can do to address these concerns in relation to other producers, in relation to its own activities it clearly has an obligation to mine and recover gold in as responsible a manner as current technological practices allow, as well as to manage the solid and liquid wastes arising from the processes it uses. Rio Tinto is a supporter of the development of a global code for cyanide management.