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
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
Decarbonisation progress update
We have a clear plan on decarbonisation - find out more about our progress in 2024
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Acquisition of Arcadium Lithium
Bringing our scale, development capabilities and financial strength to the Arcadium Lithium portfolio
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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
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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If you want to drive real change, we have just the place to do it
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Every third summer in Canada’s Northwest Territories, when the region is briefly free of snow and ice, a group of Indigenous elders and youth gather with biologists at a small camp on the remote shores of Lac de Gras, about 200 kilometres from the Arctic Circle.
They come to sample some of the world’s purest water – and the fish that live in it. Both have sustained generations of Indigenous people and are critical to traditional lifestyles in one of the world’s most untouched and ecologically-sensitive places.
Close to the camp, separated from the lake by a human-made dike, is the Diavik Diamond Mine, the source of some of the largest and most valuable diamonds found anywhere in the world.
The group at the camp uses traditional knowledge – along with scientific data – from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Indigenous communities around the mine to taste and visually inspect the health of the fish and quality of the water.
“That the water is being taken care of, the fish are being taken care of – the land, that’s our main concern,” says Yellowknives Dene First Nations Zachary Sangris, who attended the most recent sampling, in 2018, with his father, Jonas.
Since Diavik began production in 2003, traditional knowledge has complemented our scientists’ work to help protect the environment that sustains the local communities around the mine – not only to ensure that we are protecting the sensitive environment, but also to ensure that our operations benefit the many communities that have called this part of the world home for generations.
The mine’s innovative Environmental Agreement, for example, was founded on community-based monitoring and, for the first time in Canada, majority Indigenous representation on the Environmental Monitoring Advisory Board.
Kathy Mai, a biologist hired by Rio Tinto, collected data for scientific analysis during the sampling and says Indigenous fishers can provide information that visiting scientists cannot.
“They're dependent on the fish population and they've watched it for decades or centuries… Therefore the knowledge is deeper and perhaps far more significant over longer periods of time than professional knowledge … melding of the two methods of knowing, that’s what needs to happen.”
The 2018 sampling showed the quality of the water is good and the fish are healthy.
The embedding of traditional knowledge from the start at Diavik is typical of the way we operate around the world.
Rio Tinto has been mining diamonds for more than three decades, and today, produces gems that are coveted because they combine beauty with integrity.
Diamonds hold a special place in people’s lives – they are a reminder of enduring love and commitment, beauty and strength, sacrifice and reward. And above all, a diamond is a connection to something timeless.
And people want to feel good about wearing diamonds – these symbols of what matters most in life. That is why diamond provenance has become so much more important in recent years, resulting in moves by major retailers, including Chow Tai Fook, Tiffany, and Helzberg, to reveal more about the origins and path to market of the diamonds they sell.
“Consumers are asking far more questions than they've ever asked about where diamonds come from and the conditions under which they are mined, cut, polished and marketed,” says London-based jewellery historian and author Vivienne Becker.
Vivienne says Rio Tinto has been an industry leader in sustainability since it entered the industry in 1983 with the opening of the Argyle mine in the Kimberley, in Western Australia.
“Because diamonds were a new commodity to Rio Tinto, they were able to approach the whole industry with really fresh eyes,” she says.
“We saw it in the marketing, in responsible mining, how they collaborate with Traditional Owners and how they look after their workers. They have also led the way in supply chains, making the chain of custody really transparent.”
At Rio Tinto, we are proud that the way we work has set a benchmark for others in the diamond industry beyond our partnership with Indigenous groups. In the ancient land that is home to the Argyle Diamond Mine, for example, where we mine with the permission of our Traditional Owners, our mining operations tread as lightly as possible. We design and implement programmes to protect delicate environments and safeguard natural wildlife and their habitats in close collaboration with local communities. And the site is powered by clean hydropower, from the nearby Lake Argyle.
At Diavik, we have won awards for installing a wind farm to offset our use of diesel fuel, for the design of the mine, which preserves ancient caribou migration paths and the largest grizzly bear DNA study undertaken in the Northwest Territories.
A planned 2025 mine closure has been part of the Diavik plan and operations from the start. It includes progressive clean up as the mine operates and, when mining stops, the removal of the dike to let the waters of Lac de Gras flow over the mine.
“Even if these mines close, I’m pretty sure there will be more mines,” says Kitikmeot Inuit Association elder Nancy Kadlun, who was part of the 2018 fish and water-sampling group.
[I hope] they would help us do the same thing as Diavik. They should learn from what Diavik did.”
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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.
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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