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
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
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
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
Product: Alumina
The Alumar alumina refinery, in São Luís, Maranhão, north east Brazil, started operations in 1984 and has been an important economic driver in the region ever since. The majority of the employees are hired locally. The refinery is a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (10%), with the remaining 90% owned by South32 and Alcoa.
Expansions in 2009 more than doubled production and, today, Alumar produces approximately 3.8 million tonnes of alumina per year.
The refinery is a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (10%), with the remaining 90% owned by South32 and Alcoa.
Product: Copper
Escondida, in northern Chile, is the world’s largest copper mine. It produces around 1 million tonnes a year, accounting for 6% of global production1.
The mine, located in the hyper-arid northern Atacama Desert, is operating with 100% renewable power by tapping into Chile’s rich solar and wind resources.
Since 2019, Escondida operates only with desalinated water eliminating the usage of groundwater.
Escondida is owned by Rio Tinto (30%), BHP (57.5%) and JECO Corporation consortium comprising Mitsubishi, JX Nippon Mining and Metals (10%), JECO 2 Ltd (2.5%).
Escondida is managed by BHP. We provide regular input on strategic and policy matters through participation in an Owners’ Council, advisory committees and other engagements.
The Gladstone Power Station (GPS) in Queensland, Australia, is a world-class facility providing customers with safe, reliable, low-cost electricity.
The GPS was built by the Queensland Government and started operating in 1976. Today, GPS is Queensland’s largest single power station and an important generating facility in the National Electricity Market.
GPS is operated by NRG Gladstone Operating Services. Rio Tinto owns 42.125 % of the station along with NRG Energy Inc. (37.5%), Southern Cross GPS Pty Ltd (8.25%), Ryowa II GPS II Ltd (7.125%) and YKK GPS (Qld) Pty Ltd (4.75%).
GPS ensures that it minimises the environmental impacts related to its operation through a range of programs and by ensuring that waste products are recycled or treated, monitored and controlled.
GPS participates in the Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program, a joint arrangement with other industries to monitor water quality of the Port Curtis Waterway and the Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone program to monitor air quality in the local region.
GPS conducts regular environmental awareness training and encourages all employees to consider energy consumption and protection of the environment.
Product: Bauxite
The Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) mine in Porto Trombetas, northern Brazil opened in 1979.
It is the country’s largest bauxite mine, with an installed capacity of 18 million tonnes of bauxite per year, currently producing 12.5 mtpy.
MRN is a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (22%), South32 (33%), and Glencore (45%).
La Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG) bauxite mine, in the Sangaredi Plateau, north western Guinea, opened in 1973 and has an annual capacity of 18.5 million tonnes of high quality bauxite.
Rio Tinto owns 22.95% of the mine via a stake in Halco which holds 51% of the mine’s shares. The remaining 49% of shares are owned by the Guinean Government.
Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) in Gladstone, Queensland, began operations in 1967.
Today, it is one of the world’s largest alumina refineries, producing approximately 3.7 million tonnes of the world’s best smelter-grade alumina per year.
QAL is an independently managed joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (80%) and Rusal (20%).
In 2018, QAL announced a 5-year, $260 million investment in the refinery as part of a 5-Year Environmental Strategy, developed to improve QAL’s environmental performance, including air quality, odour, noise, employee culture, land and water management. Now that most of the 60 projects are defined, the program is estimated to see an investment of $480 million. See QAL’s progress.
Our contribution to the broader Gladstone community is through Here for Gladstone, which is supported by Rio Tinto Yarwun, Boyne Smelters Limited and QAL. Here For Gladstone's formal programs are governed by a Board made up of community and business leaders.
Since we started with our formal community programs in 2002, Rio Tinto Here for Gladstone has invested A$7.2 million into the Gladstone community across a wide range of projects to improve the health, livelihood and welfare of the Gladstone community.
For example, feedback showed the Gladstone community were concerned about economic development and diversification. So, in consultation with the community, we launched the Here for Business program in late 2017 that provides free business coaching and interest-free micro-finance loans to new or expanding businesses.
Product: Aluminium
Sohar Aluminium, which began operating in 2008, is the Sultanate of Oman’s first greenfield aluminium smelter.
Approximately 60% of the production is earmarked for sale as liquid metal to local downstream industries, while the rest is exported as solid aluminium.
The company also operates a dedicated port facility at the Port of Sohar, which can handle vessels up to 75,000 tonnes.
Sohar Aluminium is jointly owned by Rio Tinto (20%), Oman Oil Company (OQ) (40%), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) (40%).
Tomago Aluminium in Tomago, New South Wales in Australia, has been operating since 1983 and today is Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, producing up to 590,000 tonnes of aluminium per year.
Tomago Aluminium is an independently managed joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (51.55%), Gove Aluminium Finance Limited (36.05%) and Hydro Aluminium (12.40%).
The company contributes $2.2 billion annually to the Australian economy, of which $800 million is spent locally. The smelter produces 590,000 tonnes of aluminium every year, which is 37% of Australia’s primary aluminium. 90% of the product made at Tomago is exported to the Asia-Pacific region.
Tomago’s emissions are among the lowest recorded by any aluminium smelter in the world. Emissions created during the smelting process pass through ducting to treatment plants, known as dry scrubbers, where impurities are removed.
Tomago has a comprehensive environmental management program, focusing on emissions control and incorporating one of the world’s most advanced pollution-control and environmental protection systems.
Among the emissions carried to the dry scrubbers are fluorides, which, with other fumes and dust, form particles that are captured in large filter bags. These particles are returned to the smelter as feed material. This process is more than 99% effective in removing fluoride from the gases collected. <
At Tomago, we have an out-of-pay donation scheme by which employee donations are matched dollar-for-dollar by the company. In 2023, our Workplace Giving Program raised $130,000 with $80,000 donated to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and the rest being split between The Starlight Foundation, Jenny's Place, Calvery Mater Haematology Unity and Hunter Melanoma Foundation.
Tomago contributes $2.2 billion annually to the Australian economy, of which $800 million is spent locally.
Tomago has partnerships with more than 500 suppliers from the Hunter Region, and works with them to deliver results through continuous improvement and innovation.
Tomago employs 1000+ staff (full time equivalent) as well as 200 contractors. Our staff are drawn from a significant geographic area throughout the Hunter Valley and Central Coast, travelling from as far as 100 kilometres south, 80 kilometres north and 50 kilometres west of the plant. Ensuring that our people are safe while they are at work is one of the main drivers of our business.
Tomago uses 950MW of constant power, which is 12% of New South Wales’s demand – the largest load in Australia. We’re aiming for more than 50% renewable electricity by 2030, and aspire to 100% renewables by 2035.
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.