Product stewardship
Product stewardship is about understanding the health and environmental impacts of our products across their life cycles; threats and opportunities in the marketplace; and the importance of engagement with key stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, regulators and communities.
The effective stewardship of products across the value chain focuses on the safe and environmentally responsible production, use, recycling and disposal of our metals and minerals. We aim to go beyond existing regulations, and help to formulate best stewardship practice based on sound science.
The elements of our product stewardship strategy focus on:
- integrating product stewardship into business decision making;
- securing market access and a competitive advantage;
- communicating product safety, health and environmental data; and
- engaging with others to create opportunities and enhance reputation.
- Market support
- Life cycle
- Engagement
- Results
Good relationships with customers and consumers are vital to our ongoing access to markets. We base these relationships on transparency, trust and the exchange of information.
Our product stewardship programmes give us the tools to identify and manage the environmental, safety and health needs of the market. They give us insight into the use of our products, and help strengthen our customer/client relationships. Some examples are:
- Through Rio Tinto Minerals (RTM), one of the world's largest producers of borates, we participate in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation that promotes sustainable palm oil products through credible global standards. According to RSPO "Sustainable palm oil is seen as a way forward to continue to supply the world with its much needed vegetable oil without harming the planet and its people." The use of borate fertilizers to provide essential micronutirents, contributes to maximizing palm oil yields, thereby positively influencing both the economic and environmental sustainability.
- We have combined our approach to sustainable development with Wal-Mart's - the world's largest retailer - to promote a new range of responsibly produced jewellery as part of their Love, Earth® product line, using our silver and diamonds. In building this relationship, Rio Tinto provides data on how it minimises production impacts on health, safety and the environment.
- We are a founding member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), RJC members are committed to promoting responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry from mine to retail. The RJC has developed a Standard Code of Practices under which companies can become certified through third party audit. In operation from December 2009, the RJC Code is the most comprehensive certification system in the world covering the entire chain of production across the jewellery industry. This will enhance the credibility of the jewellery supply chain strengthening consumer confidence over time.
International frameworks can influence market access for our products. We therefore work closely with all stakeholders (including governments, associations, customers and non government organisations) to ensure we are constructively involved in regulatory developments, such as REACH in Europe or globally for GHS, to maintain our access to markets.
Our approach to product stewardship, along with other corporate programmes, improves confidence that our suppliers address health, safety or environmental requirements for supplied goods, equipment and services. The way we buy is Rio Tinto's statement of procurement practice. Further, we encourage both our suppliers and customers to move beyond compliance by continuing alignment with ISO 14040 for life cycle assessments.
