Rio Tinto, a prominent mining company, finds itself at odds with the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), an Australian shareholder advocacy group, over climate change policies. The ACCR announced it would no longer engage with Rio Tinto after the company lobbied the Australian government to remove climate change references from upcoming environmental legislation.
This controversy stems from a letter sent by Rio Tinto, Hancock Prospecting, and other Western Australian industry groups to Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. The letter expressed concerns about the government’s ‘nature positive’ environmental reforms. Specifically, the companies requested the removal of climate change requirements, such as carbon emissions, as a trigger for environmental assessment. Greenpeace obtained the letter through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, although the names of other companies involved were redacted.
The ACCR, which owns a small stake in Rio Tinto, criticized the company’s actions as inconsistent with its public commitments to enhanced climate advocacy and transparency. The group described Rio Tinto’s actions as a “breach of trust,” stating it was not informed about the company’s position.
The industry letter’s appeal to remove climate change requirements has raised significant concerns. It asked to eliminate carbon emissions as a factor for environmental assessment, a move seen as undermining efforts to combat climate change. This request contradicted Rio Tinto’s public stance on climate action, prompting the ACCR to reconsider its engagement with the company.
In a statement, the ACCR emphasized its decision to step away from supporting climate and decarbonization-related engagement with Rio Tinto. The group declared that it would not participate in activities that could be perceived as greenwashing. Engagement with Rio Tinto, the ACCR added, would only resume once the company updated its advocacy position on environmental reforms.
Rio Tinto responded to the backlash, stating it supports strong environmental protection and looks forward to engaging with the Australian government to ensure new rules are practical and workable. The company emphasized its belief that reforms should drive both stronger environmental and heritage protections and more efficient approvals processes.
