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
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
2024 annual results
Released: our 2024 annual results
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
Cultural heritage is the collective social embodiment of a community, often inherited through tradition or with some historical association. Cultural heritage is multifaceted and directly tied to our sense of identity, our culture, ancestry and values.
Cultural heritage can include buildings and architecture, monuments, industrial structures and technology, artefacts and resources. It can also include buried elements, such as subsurface archaeological and paleontological deposits; and intangible elements such as spoken language, living expressions, digital heritage, music, performance, religion, beliefs, customary practices, skills and traditional knowledge systems concerning nature and the universe.
Cultural heritage can embody biocultural diversity such as water resources, and social and spiritual aspects relating to ancestral lands, place-based connection, and resources.
For us, cultural heritage is any aspect of a community’s past and present that is deemed important and can be passed onto future generations. It can be tangible and intangible and includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural heritage.
Partnerships with communities that strengthen the protection and maintenance of cultural heritage are an important way to demonstrate respect for a community’s values.
People have the right to define and make decisions about their own cultural heritage. This means that what cultural heritage ‘looks like’, why it is significant and how it should be looked after, must be defined primarily by the people for whom that cultural heritage is important.”
Why cultural heritage matters (2011).
We acknowledge that Indigenous cultural heritage is vitally important to Indigenous Peoples globally, and of great value for everyone. We also respect that cultural heritage is unique and local Indigenous Peoples carry their own cultural obligations to protect and preserve their heritage.
At Rio TInto, Cultural Heritage Management is the formal process that we use to account for the importance of cultural heritage features and values when we plan business activities.
Our Communities and Social Performance (CSP) Standard establishes enhanced safeguards for cultural heritage, with the aim of further improving on-ground management. We also make sure all our sites have the appropriate foundations, specifically a functioning Cultural Heritage Management System (CHMS), using co-design principles.
A CHMS is a framework which guides on-ground, day-to-day management of cultural heritage. “The complexity and responsiveness of the CHMS should be directly related to the relative level of cultural heritage significance and degree of operational risk exposure to be managed.” Rio Tinto’s Cultural Heritage Management Group Procedure for Australian Businesses (2022).
A Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) is a key element of a CHMS and guides an asset or project in its approach to cultural heritage management. It is a document that contains the results and recommendations of cultural heritage significance, impact and risk assessments, and sets out management policies and strategies, engagement processes, access arrangements, required protection and mitigation measures (co-designed with relevant communities and knowledge holders), accountabilities, and monitoring and auditing requirements.
In 2022, we made a commitment that all our sites will co-manage cultural heritage with communities and knowledge holders. This ambitious, but achievable target aligns with our values. Our focus on working in partnership with communities and knowledge holders will play a critical role in achieving this commitment, as well as having a well-structured CHMP.
Many of our operations are on or near land that is valued by many, including Indigenous communities. We are focused on building strong relationships with Indigenous Peoples, respecting their deep connection to the land, water, culture, and nature.
We remain committed to achieving leading practice cultural heritage management. As part of this commitment, we work with communities and knowledge holders to ensure we understand their priorities and concerns, minimise our impacts, and responsibly manage cultural heritage.
We support the strengthening of cultural heritage legislation and advocate for more meaningful engagement, the protection of heritage values, strengthened agreement making, and certainty for all rights and knowledge holders.
Read more about our community agreements.
We are continuously monitoring the external environment and engaging with stakeholders to respond to emerging trends in practical and appropriate ways.
We also independently review our practices so we can find better ways to protect and manage cultural heritage.
In March 2023, we published findings from an independent audit on our cultural heritage management performance.
The audit was completed by ERM, a global sustainability consultancy, throughout 2021 and 2022 across 20 assets in Australia and 17 assets in other countries where we operate, including Canada, South Africa, the US and Mongolia.
The audit identified areas where we are achieving leading cultural heritage practices but also identified other practices where we need to improve our performance to ensure continuous improvement.
From the findings of the Rio Tinto Board review on cultural heritage management, we commissioned ERM to conduct an independent audit on our compliance and performance.
We know that we do not always get it right. There have been defining moments, such as Juukan Gorge, that have compelled us to change our approach. We are committed to learning from such times, incorporating the lessons, taking decisive action, and moving forward in new ways – always side by side – with the communities that host us, in the places that so many of us also call home.
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.
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