Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our business
We operate in 35 countries where our 57,000 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
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
Investor seminars
Our Investor seminar will be held in London on 4 December, and our Decarbonisation update on 5 December
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
To meet the challenges of climate change, we need to innovate.
Some of the technologies we’ll need to decarbonise are yet to be proven – and many more are yet to be discovered. So what can we do to find the solutiHoons we need for the future?
The good news, according to Professor Scott Stern, an innovation expert at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, is we all have the power to innovate.
“Having an innovative mindset is within every single individual – we just have to unlock that potential,” Scott says.
Scott Stern is the David Sarnoff Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Co-Director of the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program.
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Scott explores how innovation and entrepreneurship differ from more traditional economic activities, and the consequences of these differences for strategy and policy. His research in the economics of innovation and entrepreneurship focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems, and innovation policy and management.
Here's how you can nurture innovation:
Scott says it’s essential to build a culture of trust and experimentation.
“Companies that innovate ultimately empower their workers to take risk,” Scott said.
“And they not only give them the power, but also the resources and capabilities to do it. Then they let them build out that innovation pipeline over the course of their careers.
“It's about building trust, building psychological safety, building a culture within your organisation in which there are no ‘bad’ ideas. Then you need to seek out and nurture the great ideas.”
“Both innovation and entrepreneurship can be learned and can be taught,” Scott said.
“It does take a willingness on the part of individuals to say they're willing to open themselves up to new ideas, to thinking about their organisation in new ways, to working with new types of partners and doing new things.”
“And that's going to be scary – it might mean that things are going to change.”
You may think that coming up with a great idea is the hardest part, but Scott says sometimes the biggest challenge can be having too many ideas.
“The most important challenge that entrepreneurs face is not coming up with a great idea,” Scott said. “It's in making proactive choices about how to translate their idea in a way that creates meaningful value. So the challenge isn’t always ‘what do we do?’, often it’s thinking of too many things to do.
“We have a technique that we call test two, choose one. It’s best to focus on a smaller number of choices, harnessing the power of learning and experimentation to test them out, and then quickly identifying a feasible and practical route to go.”
“One of the most striking facts that we know about innovation and entrepreneurship is that it’s very concentrated in specific regions around the world. And what we’ve learned from these places is that no one person or organisation is in charge of innovation,” says Scott.
“It takes collaboration between business, government, universities and entrepreneurs.
“And so that’s where initiatives like the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (MIT REAP) can help. We look at how moving beyond a single organisation can drive meaningful change. We bring groups of people together and allow them to move beyond their traditional organisational boundaries.
“They learn to work together in a new and different way. And in doing so, it extends and accelerates the individual's organisation, their careers and their passion.”
The MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (MIT REAP) provides opportunities for communities around the world to engage with MIT in an evidence-based, practical approach to strengthening innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems. Rio Tinto participates in MIT REAP’s Western Australia team. We know mining is a temporary land use and through our involvement in MIT REAP we hope to help unlock potential and ensure local businesses are well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities as they arise and contribute to the sustainability of the local economy over the long term.
MIT REAP has been running for more than a decade bringing entrepreneurs, universities, governments, business and finance professionals together to share ideas and collaborate to drive innovation in their communities.
We asked Scott to define what innovation is, and how it’s different to entrepreneurship.
“Innovation and entrepreneurship are often thought to be the same thing, and they are related, but they're a little bit different,” Scott said.
“Innovation is the process by which organisations bring ideas to impact. It's about the development of new technologies, new products and services, the new things that can serve new customers and open new markets.
“Entrepreneurship is about founding and scaling a new enterprise, building the capabilities and the resources that allow you to bring your ideas to impact. Entrepreneurs play a critical role in that they're able to identify emerging opportunities and then translate that vision into a reality.”
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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.
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