Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Purpose & Values
The drive for innovation and continuous improvement is at the heart of our purpose
Business Strategy
Climate change is at the heart of our business strategy
Innovation
Finding better ways to do things is in our DNA
We supply the metals and minerals used to help the world grow and decarbonise
Iron Ore
Iron ore is the primary raw material used to make steel
7 things the world will need for a low-carbon future
Wind, sun and water – what else do you need to make renewable energy work?
Sustainability – the expectation, not the exception
Shaping our aluminium product offering to meet demand for greener metals
Bringing to market materials critical to urbanisation and the transition to a low-carbon economy
Look inside a mine of the future
Our most intelligent mine yet is pioneering new mining technologies
Rincon Project
A long-life, low-cost and low-carbon lithium source
Simandou Project
The world’s largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit
Providing materials the world needs in a responsible way
Sustainability Reporting 2023
As temporary custodians of the land where we operate, we are entrusted with accessing the world’s essential materials and making them available for society’s use
Climate Change
We’re targeting net zero emissions by 2050
Tailings
We’ve launched a new interactive map of our tailings facilities
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Reports 2023
Download our 2023 Annual Report, Climate Change Report, Sustainability Fact Book and Taxes Paid Report
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Our podcast discussing what needs to happen to create a sustainable future for the everyday items we have come to rely on
A new way to decarbonise steel
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Tackling it all
A short documentary series with the Queensland Reds is inspiring working women everywhere
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As one of the world’s biggest mining companies, rocks are a huge part of our day-to-day operations.
We find them, study them, uncover them, and find new and better ways to turn them into a range of products that the world needs.
But we’ve noticed that several myths about rocks seem to stick around – so we spoke to some experts on our team to set the record straight.
When you think of science, you’re likely picturing test tubes, lab coats and experiments. But science often looks quite different.
Between scientific disciplines there’s often good-natured banter about what constitutes “real” science – and fields like geology often get accused of being “imposters”.
But Ian, our Head of Orebody Knowledge, explains exactly why geology is definitely a science.
“Geologists study the materials processes and history of the earth, investigating how rocks were formed and what has happened to them since,” Ian says.
“This tells us a lot about how the physical earth and atmosphere behaved in the past and gives us insights into how it may change in the future.
“Importantly, geology allows us to find important natural concentrations of minerals that have proven to be useful for building everything, from your car to your mobile phone, as well as the minerals and metals required to decarbonise the earth.”
From a young age, we learn some basic facts about the world around us that seem unshakeable. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and rocks are solid. After all, “solid as a rock” is a common saying for a reason – right?
Well, as it happens, none of those “facts” are actually true – and Ian has some context that can give us a sturdier understanding of rocks.
“The rocks we live on are floating on molten and plastic-like layers in the earth, with currents in the molten earth moving large plates of the crust or surface of the earth around,” Ian says.
“In fact, Australia is moving north at about 7 cm per year, about twice as fast as your fingernails grow. And if you live in Australia, your house is about 1.5m further north than it was 20 years ago.
“This movement requires our topographic maps and associated GPS coordinates to be periodically updated. Sometimes we feel the rocks move dramatically and this is called an earthquake.”
Minerals are the world’s building blocks.
They form the basis of our geology, provide essential nutrients for plant and animal life, and are integral to countless industrial and technological processes.
And while many of us might associate them more as something humans need to stay healthy – like calcium, magnesium and potassium – we know that they come from the ground.
But not all rocks are as mineral-packed as you'd think. So to clear things up, Ian breaks down the misconception that every rock is essentially a mineral mosaic.
“Not all rocks are composed of minerals,” Ian says.
“In simple terms, minerals are naturally occurring inorganic solids with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure.
“Coal, for example, is a rock made up of ancient vegetation (hence we can burn it for energy), but strictly speaking, this material is not a mineral.”
We know minerals are everywhere – which might make you think they’re pretty common, and therefore not in short supply.
But as the world races to curb the effects of climate change, the kind of materials in high demand is changing. And from electric vehicle batteries to solar panels, minerals are the backbone of the energy transition.
Sinead Kaufman, our Chief Executive of Minerals, explains why minerals are more critical than ever.
“Clean-energy technologies often require more critical minerals than their traditional counterparts,” Sinead says.
“An electric car, for example, uses around five times more minerals than a combustion engine, and a wind farm on land uses around eight times more minerals than a conventional gas-fired power plant with the same capacity.
“So demand for critical minerals will grow rapidly – in 2020, the World Bank estimated that minerals such as graphite, lithium and cobalt could increase production by nearly 500% by 2050.”
People often think mining's just the actual extraction and processing of materials.
But a huge part of our operations involves what happens after mining ends.
Santiago, our Manager for Closure Research and Development, explains how rehabilitating and rejuvenating the lands we operate on creates spaces that create value for communities and the environment long after a mine closes.
“There’s this perception that we just pack up and call it a day… far from it,” Santiago says.
“We make sure we close all our sites down responsibly and sustainably, because we believe there’s an opportunity for a fresh start.
“Through our operations we are connected to a varied and vast landholding and with that comes a great responsibility and a great opportunity to make sure the future of these areas is carefully considered.
“Back in 2021, we teamed up with RESOLVE to launch Regeneration Enterprises. It's all about a fresh approach to mining where we work with the community to revive old mine sites by re-mining left-over materials to ultimately restore land.
“And this is just one way we’re using science to remediate sites more sustainably. We’ve joined a project to learn how microbes could help us, and we’ve even managed to re-plant ecosystems without topsoil.
“There’s a lot riding on getting this right but we’re confident we can improve outcomes for mines – potentially around the world.”
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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.
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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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