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
Get the latest news, stories and updates
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
A new way to decarbonise steel
Tackling a global challenge
Tackling it all
A short documentary series with the Queensland Reds is inspiring working women everywhere
Discover more about life at Rio Tinto
Graduates and students
If you want to drive real change, we have just the place to do it
Empowering families with flexibility
Supporting new parents of any gender with equal access to parental leave
Available jobs
Join our team
Clean-energy technologies like wind, solar and hydro will power a carbon-neutral future. And to build them, we’re going to need critical minerals and metals. A lot of them.
We know demand for these materials can’t come at the expense of people and the environment – we need to leave the lightest footprint we can. And although new technologies have improved our processes over time, our industry still uses a lot of energy and can produce hazardous waste.
But what if some of the oldest and tiniest living organisms on Earth could offer solutions to these big challenges?
Sometimes called the ‘life support system of the biosphere’, microbes maintain the health of all life – plants, animals and humans. They break down organic matter, capture carbon dioxide in waste, and create the nutrients that entire ecosystems need to grow. If we can learn more about these microscopic creatures, their individual traits, and how they work with each other, we may be able to combine their strengths to help us mine more sustainably.
“I like to say that there is always a microbe out there somewhere that can solve any issue you have – the problem is finding the right ones when you need them! This is where M-MAP will be a game-changer, giving us and our partners a unique breadth and depth of data related to microbes that are already doing amazing things at our mine sites. With this data we can identify the right microbe for a solution, isolate where it is at our sites and understand which pathways the microbe or microbial community is using to deliver the functionality we need.”
– Nick Gurieff, Principal Adviser for Closure Research and Development, Rio Tinto
That’s where the Mining Microbiome Analytics Platform (M-MAP) project comes in.
Launched in February 2022, M-MAP is a partnership between government, a leading Canadian research university, not-for-profit research partners, and global mining, bioinformatics and synthetic biology companies. The project is developing the world’s largest database of mine site microbial data that will be used to identify microbes that could help us mine more sustainably in some incredible ways.
We already know, for example, that microbes exist that can consume and break down a metal called selenium – which is sometimes found in mining waste – so that the metal itself can be removed from the environment and recycled safely. But it's possible we could also find a combination of microbes that would speed up reforestation after a mine closes. Or that could treat contaminated water to be drinkable again, without needing to use any chemicals. Or that could protect natural environments from becoming polluted in the first place.
Although biotech has been used before in mining, M-MAP will give us uniquely detailed information about microbiomes – the genetic information, or genomes, of microbes – by identifying, sequencing and cataloguing all their key traits in an enormous database that also links to their original site’s geospatial, climate and chemical data.
Although microbes are tiny, cataloguing and sequencing their DNA to find the right combinations is a huge job, with trillions of possibilities. By building a huge bank of data, M-MAP will offer a way for researchers and mining teams to find unique traits of existing microbiomes – and possibly even develop new combinations – to target and solve specific issues in ways we haven’t even thought of yet.
"As an early mining user of the platform, we see the transformative potential for this microbiome-based technology to promote environmental stewardship and help us achieve net zero emissions from our operations by 2050. By providing samples from our mines for genome sequencing, we are contributing to the potential development of breakthrough biological solutions to decarbonise the extraction and processing of metals and minerals, and to support the remediation of mine sites."
– Mark Davies, Chief Technical Officer, Rio Tinto
We’ll be providing over 3,000 rock, water and tailings samples from our Kennecott Copper, Boron and Vaudreuil sites. Along with samples collected by our partners at Teck from their sites, these will help the M-MAP team develop their extensive research databases.
A unique resource of this scale will be incredibly valuable for the mining industry, our research partners, future biotechnologists, and many other industries too, as we work to decarbonise our operations.
We need to act quickly and responsibly to meet our commitment to achieve net zero emissions from our operations by 2050. And while we still have hard work ahead of us, we’re optimistic that M-MAP could help us identify and use microbes that will help us mine more sustainably, at scale, as the global industry norm.
Banner image ©tilialucida via Canva.com
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.
These Cookies are used to provide a better user experience on the site, such as by measuring interactions with particular content or remembering your settings such as language or video playback preferences.
These Cookies allow us to analyse site usage in order to evaluate and improve its performance. They help us know how often you come to our site and when, how long you stay and any performance issues you experience whilst you are on our site.
These Cookies are used by advertising companies to inform and serve personalised ads to your devices based on your interests. These Cookies also facilitate sharing information with social networks or recording your interactions with particular ads.