Business Wire | Aug 25, 2020 09:00AM EDT

Rio Tinto's Kennecott operation the first to achieve The Copper Mark for responsible production

Aug. 25, 2020

MONTREAL, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 2020--Rio Tinto's Kennecott site in the US is the first producer to be awarded the Copper Mark, the copper industry's new independently assessed responsible production programme.

The Kennecott operation in Utah has demonstrated it meets over 30 criteria for responsible environmental, social and governance practices.

The Copper Mark is the first and only programme for responsible production in the copper industry. Originally developed by the International Copper Association with input from a broad range of stakeholders including customers, NGOs and producers, the Copper Mark is now an independent entity with a multi-stakeholder council.

Rio Tinto Copper & Diamonds chief executive Arnaud Soirat said, "We are proud to lead the copper industry in being awarded the Copper Mark, demonstrating our commitment to responsible production and transparency.

"The Copper Mark allows our customers to purchase copper from operations that have been independently assessed as meeting the highest environmental, social and governance standards, responding to the growing expectations of consumers around the world for sustainable supply chains.

"We look forward to continuing our work with the Copper Mark and seeing this new programme embraced widely along the value chain, to support the role copper continues to play as a key material in a sustainable future."

The Copper Mark's Executive Director, Michle Brlhart said "We congratulate Rio Tinto's Kennecott site and the leadership they are taking to mine responsibly. We welcome them as our first awarded site."

International Copper Association President, Tony Lea said, "The Copper Mark is an important milestone for the global copper industry and reflects stakeholders' needs for greater transparency. We hope more producers will follow Rio Tinto's lead and apply for the Copper Mark."

Notes to editors

In 2017, the International Copper Association decided to explore responsible sourcing strategy options for copper. The Copper Mark concept was subsequently developed utilizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework and was developed to demonstrate that copper is not only being produced responsibly, but is also an important contributor to society's overall sustainable development goals and local community needs. After extensive stakeholder consultation, pilot assessment with 25 member companies, and standards refinement, The Copper Mark was launched on 30th March 2020.

To achieve the Copper Mark, Rio Tinto's Kennecott operations were independently assessed across more than 30 criteria covering the categories of Environment, Community, Business and Human Rights, Labour and Working Conditions and Governance.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200825005592/en/

CONTACT: media.enquiries@riotinto.com riotinto.com Follow @RioTinto on Twitter

CONTACT: Media Relations, United Kingdom Illtud Harri M +44 7920 503 600

CONTACT: David Outhwaite T +44 20 7781 1623 M +44 7787 597 493

CONTACT: Media Relations, Americas Matthew Klar T +1 514 608 4429

CONTACT: Media Relations, Asia Grant Donald T +65 6679 9290 M +65 9722 6028

CONTACT: Media Relations, Australia Jonathan Rose T +61 3 9283 3088 M +61 447 028 913

CONTACT: Matt Chambers T +61 3 9283 3087 M +61 433 525 739

CONTACT: Jesse Riseborough T +61 8 6211 6013 M +61 436 653 412

CONTACT: Investor Relations, United Kingdom Menno Sanderse T: +44 20 7781 1517 M: +44 7825 195 178

CONTACT: David Ovington T +44 20 7781 2051 M +44 7920 010 978

CONTACT: Clare Peever M: +44 7788 967 877

CONTACT: Investor Relations, Australia Natalie Worley T +61 3 9283 3063 M +61 409 210 462

CONTACT: Amar Jambaa T +61 3 9283 3627 M +61 4 7286 5948

CONTACT: Rio Tinto plc 6 St James's Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885

CONTACT: Rio Tinto Limited Level 7, 360 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404

CONTACT: Category: Kennecott