Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
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We operate in 35 countries where our 60,000 employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs
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Continuous improvement and innovation are part of our DNA
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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
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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
Decarbonisation progress update
We have a clear plan on decarbonisation - find out more about our progress
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
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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
The 'f' word of innovation
How unlocking innovation requires a change of mindset
Reducing titanium oxide's carbon footprint
Our BlueSmelting technology could drastically reduce carbon emissions during ore processing
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It started with nothing more than an idea and desire to help people. Throw in some formidable engineering skills, a motorbike workshop and a truckload of pioneering spirit – and two weeks later, you have a lifesaving medical device.
That is how Mick Caratti, Chairman of Lycopodium – our engineering partner based in Perth, Western Australia – and his team built a hospital ventilator.
Their starting point was a project by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from a decade ago, when MIT engineers created a ventilator suitable for use in underdeveloped countries, or as an emergency backup for natural disasters and pandemics in the USA. Mick realised that from an engineering point of view it would be relatively easy to use the MIT design to make emergency backup units locally.
So he got a team together – engineers from Lycopodium and ECG Engineering, industry partners who make or supply parts, anaesthetists and emergency medicine specialists. And his friends too: “The ventilator’s prototype arms were made in my mate’s motorcycle workshop one weekend.”
Lycopodium’s ventilator uses electrically powered mechanical arms to pump an “Ambu bag mask” – like the ones used by paramedics and other first responders to resuscitate people. The mask pushes air in and out of a person’s lungs – breathing for them, when they are unable to do it themselves.
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The beauty of Lycopodium’s design is that they can quickly make more, and at a low cost, if needed. A normal hospital ventilator can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but Lycopodium’s cost around just A$2,000 to make. LycoVent may not have all the bells and whistles of some hospital ventilators – but it can save lives.
Even though Lycopodium is better known for its engineering and construction expertise in the resources sector, Mick knew they could tackle a medical challenge too. Two weeks and 2 days later, he was standing with a team of doctors at Perth’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital testing a ventilator prototype.
“Back in March – when COVID-19 cases were peaking in Australia – I read an article by a doctor in a remote Indigenous community,” Mick said. “His patients were particularly at risk of severe complications from COVID-19 and he was worried about ventilator shortages if COVID-19 cases grew quickly, as had happened in other countries.”
Since March, Mick and the team have continued to test and improve their model – known as LycoVent – and it will soon undergo certification by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration. Once it is approved, Lycopodium will donate the first 100 units built to wherever they are needed most.
A lifesaving device created in just over 2 weeks, by a small team of dedicated people working together to make a positive difference in the world. That is what we call partnership – and pioneering progress.
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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).
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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 this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
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