Rio Tinto PLC

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Direct Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Comment	Score
Comprehensive	Rio Tinto provides an unusually detailed picture of its climate-policy advocacy. It names a wide array of specific measures it has engaged on – for example reforms to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism, Guarantee of Origin hydrogen scheme, Renewable Electricity Certification regime and climate-related financial-disclosure rules, multiple elements of Canada’s federal climate package (Clean Fuel Standard, carbon offsets programme, output-based pricing system, Bill C-12 net-zero legislation and a possible Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), EU proposals under the “Fit for 55” package including CBAM and phase IV of the EU-ETS, and carbon-tax proposals in South Africa and British Columbia. The company also explains how it lobbies and who it approaches. It cites written submissions to public consultations, bilateral meetings, policy advocacy and technical advice, both directly and through industry bodies such as the Mining Association of Canada, European Aluminium Association and Aluminium Association of Canada. Identified targets include the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment, Australia’s Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Canadian federal and provincial governments (Quebec, British Columbia), the South African National Treasury and EU institutions. Public links to its submissions are provided in several cases, underscoring the openness of these mechanisms. Finally, Rio Tinto is explicit about the outcomes it pursues. It supports carbon pricing but calls for a staged, flexible implementation of NZ-ETS reforms and a pause on further changes until the system stabilises; in Canada it seeks gradual reduction of free allowances, recognition of remote-region fuel constraints in the Low Carbon Fuel Regulation, integration of global offset markets and safeguards for national competitiveness before endorsing a carbon-border adjustment; it backs the Australian Guarantee of Origin hydrogen scheme without reservations; and in South Africa it advocates amendments to the carbon tax to protect competitiveness while improving environmental effectiveness. These concrete requests, complete with rationales, show clearly what policy changes the company is trying to secure. Taken together, the breadth of policies named, the specificity of lobbying channels and targets, and the clear articulation of desired regulatory outcomes demonstrate a very high level of transparency around Rio Tinto’s climate-related lobbying activities.	4

Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Comment	Score
Strong	Rio Tinto discloses a defined governance process that covers both its own advocacy and its participation in industry associations, indicating strong oversight of climate-related lobbying. The company states that "Climate change is a material and strategic topic for Rio Tinto and is therefore part of ongoing discussion and analysis at the most senior levels of management and the Board" and that "The Board approves our overall strategy, our policy positions and the Climate Change Report," showing that direct lobbying positions require board sign-off. Oversight responsibility is clearly assigned: "The Chairman is the Board member responsible for our overall approach to climate change" while "Our Chief Legal Officer, Governance and Corporate Affairs is accountable to the climate policy engagement, governance," demonstrating named individuals with accountability. For indirect lobbying, Rio Tinto explains that "We review the climate advocacy of our industry associations each year, publish this review on our website and consider it when we decide whether to renew our membership," and the Sustainability Committee "reviews industry association engagement," highlighting a recurrent, disclosed mechanism to assess alignment and the possibility of changing or ending memberships. The review explicitly examines "the policy positions and advocacy of the industry association" and their consistency with the "goals of the Paris Agreement," which shows a formal process to ensure alignment with the companys climate commitments. However, the disclosure does not describe a stand-alone, publicly available climate-lobbying audit that covers both direct and indirect activities in detail, nor does it indicate use of third-party assurance, so the transparency, while robust, is not fully comprehensive.	3