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We produce materials essential for human progress
We are the largest mining and metals company operating in Canada today
We work hard to leave a lasting, positive legacy everywhere we work
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Aluminium undergoes a huge transformation from a red bauxite rock to the metal found everywhere in life.
It’s mined, refined and smelted. It travels on trucks and ships – sometimes thousands of kilometres. And finally, it’s shaped into everything from cans to cars. So, through all of that, how can you be confident the product you’ve just bought was made responsibly?
Understanding – and being able to trace – the full process is important as more and more consumers seek out products made sustainably. In fact, research by Deloitte suggests ethical and sustainability issues are a key driver for almost a third of consumers.
People want to know more about the products they buy, where they come from and how they were made. This is true for food, clothes – and our products are no exception.
To help our customers – and the consumers who buy their products – make informed decisions, we need to provide increased transparency and traceability across our entire supply chain.
So we created START – a digital blockchain initiative that provides traceable, transparent information about our products. START began with aluminium and is now expanding to cover more materials, including metal powders.
We use blockchain technology to verify the provenance of the material.
Each order is assigned a unique QR code, which customers can print on their products. Scanning the code opens a web page that details the source material’s complete journey from the ground to the finished product.
We call this our START label. It allows our customers to know the sustainability credentials of our products, all 14 sustainability metrics that we track from mining to actual production of our metal.
In future, you’ll just need to scan of a QR code on an aluminium drink can or a new electric car to see the credentials of all the metals used to make the product. Just like a nutritional label, but for products.
Like a “nutrition label”, key information is provided across 14 criteria from mine to market:
More
Global warming potential, water management, renewable energy, recycled content, waste management, safety performance, contribution to communities, supplier due diligence, governance systems and diversity.
Through secure blockchain technology you can see where your materials come from, how they were made, and the environmental, social and governance standards followed during their production.
We collect the information used in START for our annual sustainability reporting.
Each of our sites provides data that is verified by our subject matter experts, and then reviewed by Health, Safety, Environment & Security and Communities & Social Performance teams as a second line of assurance. Our Board’s Sustainability Committee then reviews and signs it off, before an external auditor assures the greenhouse gas emissions information.
The blockchain itself also adds a level of security because it’s an independent digital record-keeping system. It collects information and stores it in “blocks”, which are all connected. Every time new information is collected, it is stored chronologically with time stamps, so information can’t be changed.
START builds on our existing assurance systems, like ASI and Copper Mark.
With increased scrutiny on the origin of materials and on climate change, we believe START will help customers respond to growing consumer expectations. Our goal is to demonstrate to customers and consumers that our responsibly produced and traceable products are the right materials for their needs.
By tracing the steps from START to finish
How we process personal data provided or obtained through this website.
With the exception of the use of cookies, Rio Tinto generally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to Rio Tinto through this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of our Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
With the exception of the use of cookies (explained below), Rio Tinto generally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to Rio Tinto through this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
Part 1 of this Privacy Policy contains the Rio Tinto Data Privacy Standard, which provides an overview of Rio Tinto’s approach to personal data processing. There is additional information in the appendices to the Data Privacy Standard, including information about disclosures, trans-border data transfers, the exercise of data subject rights and how to make complaints or obtain further information relating to Rio Tinto’s processing of your personal data.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us at digital.comms@riotinto.com).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
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