Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our business
We operate in 35 countries where our 60,000 employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our purpose in action
Continuous improvement and innovation are part of our DNA
Innovation
The need for innovation is greater than ever
We supply the metals and minerals used to help the world grow and decarbonise
Iron Ore
The primary raw material used to make steel, which is strong, long-lasting and cost-efficient
Lithium
The lightest of all metals, it is a key element needed for low-carbon technologies
Copper
Tough but malleable, corrosion-resistant and recyclable, and an excellent conductor of heat and transmitter of electricity
Bringing to market materials critical to urbanisation and the transition to a low-carbon economy
Oyu Tolgoi
One of the most modern, safe and sustainable operations in the world
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
Climate Change
We’re targeting net zero emissions by 2050
Nature solutions
Our nature-based solutions projects complement the work we're doing to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions
Enabling ESG transparency
Our START™ initiative tracks traceability and responsible production of Rio Tinto materials.
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Reports 2024
Download our 2024 suite of reports, including our 2024 Taxes and Royalties Paid Report, detailing $8.4 billion of taxes and royalties paid globally during the year
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Things You Can't Live Without
Our podcast discussing what needs to happen to create a sustainable future for the everyday items we have come to rely on
Refuelling the mining industry
How can we power the world’s biggest machines with new fuel solutions?
Forging a low-carbon future
How we're working to decarbonise iron ore and steel
Discover more about life at Rio Tinto
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If you want to drive real change, we have just the place to do it
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Supporting new parents of any gender with equal access to parental leave
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As electric vehicles (EVs), renewable power sources and home energy storage become more affordable and widely adopted, the world will need more of the minerals and metals that make these technologies work.
To help us meet this growing need, in 2021 we launched a new Battery Materials business, which will see us add essential minerals like lithium, nickel and tellurium to our product portfolio.
But sourcing, mining and producing these rare minerals at the scale needed to meet future demand is no mean feat. Here are some of the ways we’re working to meet this in a responsible way.
In a recent episode of the Global Lithium podcast, Rio Tinto’s Managing Director of Battery Materials, Marnie Finlayson, discussed our vision and strategy for battery materials, our role in the energy transition and our outlook for the lithium market.
One way we’re working to meet growing demand for high-quality materials is finding promising new projects to scale up responsibly.
With its direct extraction technology, our new Rincon Lithium Project in Argentina is helping us achieve that. It’s a large, scalable, undeveloped lithium-brine project that’s capable of producing battery-grade lithium carbonate with potentially one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry.
We’re also partnering with Talon Metals on a joint venture at Tamarack – the only high-grade nickel, copper and cobalt project in the US, located in central Minnesota.
The way we produce our materials can have just as much of an impact on the energy transition as what we produce. But we can reduce the impact of our activities by reusing and recycling as much as possible at every stage of our process.
At our technology centre in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada, we’ve found a way to get scandium – another critical mineral – from titanium dioxide production waste. Scandium is an essential material in technologies such as EV batteries and solid oxide fuel cells.
Our Kennecott copper mine is extracting a rare, valuable metal from waste
To maintain pace in a rapidly evolving industry, we’re forging strong partnerships with companies that are leaders in technology and building the supply chain. And we keep a watchful eye on new discoveries, new techniques and even new materials that could support the energy transition, and invest in promising startups.
Some of the ways we’re doing that include a partnership with Slovakian battery company InoBat to support the development of the battery ecosystem in Europe. We’ve also invested $10 million in clean technology innovator Nano One, to change the way cathode active materials are manufactured, contributing to a cleaner and more efficient battery supply chain. And we’ve invested seed capital in ElectraLith, a spin off from Monash University, to further develop electro-filtration technology for lithium extraction from brine deposits. The technology has the potential to process lithium-brine much faster and with a higher purity, while dramatically reducing its environmental footprint.
The EV industry offers huge potential to partner with car and truck manufacturers, and find ways work together to create more value and security of supply. We’ve recently started working with Ford Motor Company to provide a secure supply chain of several critical materials that will enable an EV future – including lithium, low-carbon aluminium and copper – for new vehicles the motor giant produces.