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
Tailings
Details of our tailings facilities can be found on our interactive tailings disclosure map
Nature solutions
Our nature-based solutions projects complement the work we're doing to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
North America site visit, 24 September 2024
An investor site visit to our Aluminium operations in the Saguenay and our Iron & Titanium business in Sorel, Quebec, Canada
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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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Through safe and responsible asset closure, we are working to deliver shared benefits for host communities, employees and investors; positive ESG outcomes; and innovative solutions that minimise long-term liabilities.
We do this in partnership with our stakeholders, embedding closure considerations throughout the lifespan of our assets – in the way we design, build, run, close and transition them.
As temporary stewards of the land where we operate, we partner with our stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the future of the lands and host communities. Balancing environmental, financial and social considerations, we look for opportunities associated with progressive closure, remediation and repurposing, and, where appropriate, long-term monitoring and maintenance.
At the end of 2023, closure provisions on our balance sheet totalled $17.2 billion (2022: $15.8 billion).
Advocating for change from within the mining industry
An essential material for a low-carbon future
How an environmentalist became the CEO of a mining company
Restoring legacy and former mine sites is a complex, industry-wide challenge – one that we need to get right.
We are partnering with RESOLVE, a non-profit organisation, to launch Regeneration, a start-up that will use the re-mining and processing of waste from legacy mine sites to support rehabilitation activities and restore natural environments.
Regeneration will extract valuable minerals and metals from mine tailings, waste rock and water. Earnings from the sale of these responsibly-sourced materials will be reinvested to help fund habitat restoration and closure activities, including at legacy and previously abandoned mine sites. Regeneration will also seek to create and trade biodiversity and carbon credits through the rehabilitation of land and the generation of environmental offsets.
We will invest $2 million in Regeneration and will work with the team to identify potential opportunities for the first Regeneration project.
We continue to rehabilitate the Argyle diamond mine on Miriwoong and Gija country in Western Australia. In 2023, we completed removal of the processing plant above ground infrastructure, continued reprofiling of the alluvial mining and waste rock landforms and capping of the tailings storage facility. We have reviewed our contracting strategy to increase work awarded to Traditional Owner businesses, increasing our spend to A$33 million in 2023 (2022: A$21 million). We are engaging with Traditional Owners on how to best support and expand meaningful participation as we progress closure activities.
In 2023, we began the largest demolition project in the Southern Hemisphere at the Gove refinery in the Northern Territory, Australia. While water treatment and capping of the residue disposal areas continues, we are working closely with Gumatj and Rirratjingu Traditional Owners, and the Northern Territory Government, to plan for the future of the region beyond mining. In 2023, we spent A$94 million with Traditional Owner businesses, a decrease on the previous year due to lower global fuel prices (2022: A$101 million).
Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) is rehabilitating the Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory, Australia. We are committed to the successful rehabilitation of the Ranger Project Area to a standard that will establish an environment similar to the adjacent Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage site. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners’, the Mirarr people, consistent opposition to developing the Jabiluka uranium deposit and restate our full support for ERA’s commitment that the deposit would never be developed without the Mirarr People’s consent. Our utmost priority and commitment is to the rehabilitation of the Ranger Project Area in a way that is consistent with the wishes of the Mirarr people.
On 4 April 2023, we announced our support for ERA’s Interim Entitlement Offer (IEO), which raised approximately A$369 million to address funding requirements for the Ranger Rehabilitation Project to the end of the second quarter of 2024. Rio Tinto, which owns 86.3% of ERA's shares, subscribed for its full entitlements under the terms of the IEO, at a cost of A$319 million.
In October 2023, ERA announced that the findings of a 2022 Feasibility Study were under review. The study was undertaken on a lower technical risk rehabilitation methodology and to further refine the Ranger Project Area rehabilitation execution scope, risks, cost and schedule . In December 2023, ERA announced that they expected rehabilitation costs to materially exceed the previously estimated range and expected to increase their closure provision to approximately A$2.3 billion.
Rio Tinto continues to provide project support, including organisational and technical support, as requested by ERA. For more information, please visit ERA’s website.
We manage over 90 legacy assets in 9 countries and 28 tailings storage facilities.
In 2023, we donated over 28 acres of land to the Southwestern Oregon Community College in Brookings, Oregon to support the expansion of their Curry Campus. The donation triples the size of the Curry Campus providing additional education opportunities in the region.
In France we opened an eco-park in partnership with the French Ministry of ecological transition at Le Thoronet, a former bauxite mine. The park features hiking trails and diverse habitat areas to support local wildlife.
We completed relinquishments at Lochacker Schreiber, a former landfill in Switzerland returning the land to local government for future use, long-term management and monitoring.
At Kelian, a former gold mine in Indonesia we have entered into a post-mining agreement with the province of East Kalimantan, under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to support the long-term management of the site. We have completed the restoration of the environment in the protected forest, which contains a rhinoceros sanctuary.
We completed 8 additional asset closure strategies in 2023, now in place for 59% of our active operations.
These strategies create a progressive vision for future land use after our operations cease and focus on opportunities to reduce closure costs and risks over the asset lifecycle. All of our operating sites have closure plans. We review these plans regularly to align with stakeholder expectations and to incorporate lessons learned from other closure projects. At operations with joint ownership structures, we work in partnership with other asset owners to ensure closure is considered throughout asset design, planning and operations.
Successful closure needs to align with the expectations of host communities and governments. We are developing new approaches to engagement, such as co-creation of the future use and landform, co-execution and co-governance. To achieve this, we are working with host communities, including Indigenous partners, on rehabilitation, revegetation and long-term monitoring at many sites.
We look for opportunities across our portfolio to contribute to decarbonisation efforts for the communities where we operate. For example, at our Gove bauxite operations, we are working to introduce solar power into the grid to support sustainable power for the region beyond mining.
We partner with universities, governments and other organisations to find opportunities to repurpose and reprocess mineral and industrial waste, improve treatment and valorisation of mining-influenced waters, and explore the social aspects of mine closure. For example:
We manage a number of historic sites – known as legacy sites – some we did not operate but acquired through corporate acquisitions after they were closed. Where required, we rehabilitate these sites and, where and when we can, transfer them to local authorities or third parties for future land use.
Our Kelian team rehabilitated the 6,670-hectare gold mine site, including remediating waste dumps and building dams to protect ground and surface water from mine tailings, and converting areas that lay beneath the processing plant into a wetland.
It’s hoped the sanctuary could provide the lifeline that Kalimantan’s remaining Sumatran rhinos need to begin their recovery – and is just one example of the contribution that thoughtful closure of former mine sites can make.
A new program aims to get everyone thinking about the end from day one
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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.
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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 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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