While sustainable development is a global concept, implementation tends to have meaning and relevance only in local situations. As a result, Rio Tinto's focus is to measure and report sustainable development performance at the local level.

A growing number of Rio Tinto managed businesses have developed, or are in the process of developing, locally relevant sustainable development metrics. The intent is that these are derived in accordance with specific circumstances and sustainable development related priorities, through consultation with local stakeholders.

Progress against these metrics is beginning to be integrated into existing internal business reporting systems and communicated to external audiences via annual local Social and environment reports.

At a global level, relevant performance measures that are appropriate to use in assessing the degree to which a mining company is contributing to society's transition to sustainable development have yet to be agreed. A number of multi stakeholder efforts are underway in this regard, including an initiative between the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to develop a Mining and Metals Sector Supplement to the existing GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, which Rio Tinto is actively supporting. In the meantime, in order to provide feedback on our progress at a Group level, we have summarised below some of our activity in implementing the Rio Tinto sustainable development policy:

• During 2003, direct sustainable development policy support was provided to over two thirds of Group businesses and almost all businesses have now commenced work to formally understand and respond to Rio Tinto's sustainable development policy and associated expectations;
• Over 95 per cent of all managed businesses have now participated in a formal sustainable development awareness and planning workshop;
• Every managed business has appointed a sustainable development leader to coordinate sustainable development policy implementation; and
• Over 80 per cent of businesses have formed specific cross functional sustainable development teams to assist integration efforts.

Case studies