Pilbara environment strategy

Strategy
Environmental targets
Taking action

Understanding, protecting and restoring the natural environment.

We’ve been in the Pilbara for 60 years and have plans to be in the region for decades to come.

We’re committed to being trusted stewards of the Pilbara, working with Traditional Owners, government and other partners.

We’re committed to understanding, protecting and restoring the natural environment so the region remains healthy and resilient for generations. The Rio Tinto Iron Ore Pilbara Environment Strategy sets out how we’ll progress this over the next 5 years.

Download the Pilbara environment strategy

Our strategy

We recognise that our operations have an inherent impact on nature, both directly and indirectly, and we’re committed to contributing to the global shift toward a nature positive future.

Our pathway for progressing our nature and environment commitments is outlined within our Nature Framework, which outlines the practices and actions that underpin our efforts to contribute to a nature positive future globally.

The Pilbara Environment Strategy sets out our approach to delivering the Nature Framework across our Iron Ore operations in the Pilbara.

The Pilbara is a nationally significant region for biodiversity¹ that is also under pressure from habitat loss, altered water flows, invasive species and changed fire regimes. With extensive operations across the Pilbara, we have a significant responsibility to work with our partners to manage impacts and support the region’s long-term environmental, cultural and economic resilience.

The strategy is our commitment to be a trusted partner and environmental steward. It provides a foundation for integrating environmental values into how we plan, construct, operate, rehabilitate and close our assets.

1. The Pilbara is recognised as one of Australia’s 15 biodiversity hotspots, areas that are rich in biodiversity, but also under threat.

The strategy is built on three pillars and supported by priority enablers:

Understand
Protect
Restore

Building knowledge and regional understanding to enable sustainable development while reducing our impact.

To understand Pilbara environmental and cultural values and cumulative impacts at a regional scale we’re investing in research, monitoring and partnerships.

Applying the mitigation hierarchy – avoid, minimise, rehabilitate then offset – we’ll prioritise avoidance across all stages of the mining lifecycle.

This means embedding environmental values into mine design and planning, avoiding and minimising impacts where possible, reducing our water footprint and utilising digital and technology to improve environmental outcomes.

Contributing to nature positive outcomes¹ and restoring health of Country to deliver a positive legacy and a healthy, balanced Pilbara.

We’ll deliver our rehabilitation ambition and contribute to tangible nature outcomes through partnerships and on‑the-ground action.

1. Nature positive – A global societal goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 on a 2020 baseline, and achieve full recovery by 2050, in line with the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. How we'll contribute to nature positive outcomes is defined through our nature framework and the ICMM Nature Position Statement.

Our environment targets

Context and purpose

The strategy includes ambitious and achievable environmental targets across biodiversity, water, land disturbance and rehabilitation, defining the outcomes we are working towards across the Pilbara.

These targets are a critical part of the strategy and are designed to set a clear direction for how we plan, construct, operate, rehabilitate and close our assets.

They provide a consistent basis for planning, performance tracking, reporting and assurance, and support improving transparency with stakeholders.

While delivery is coordinated across multiple functions and operations, the targets are set and measured at a Pilbara‑wide level rather than as site‑specific targets.
Alignment to external frameworks

The strategy’s targets are aligned to recognised external frameworks and leading practice guidance. This alignment helps ensure our commitments reflect evolving global expectations and support credible, comparable disclosure.

Targets have been developed with reference to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the ICMM Nature Position Statement, the ICMM Water Stewardship Position Statement, and the ICMM Integrated Mine Closure Good Practice Guide .
Governance

An established governance model supports implementation of the strategy, including planning, reporting, communications and assurance. Governance includes documenting the baseline, definitions and measurement rules for the targets, and tracking their progress towards delivery.

If material company acquisitions, divestments or prior-period errors are identified, we’ll review and, where required, update the relevant targets information and supporting data. Any recalculation or change will need to be reassessed and re-approved through our governance model.

For more information on our delivery approach, see Taking action.
Independent assurance

ERM CVS Australia Pty Ltd provided independent limited assurance over the design and framework of the strategy’s targets.

Our Pilbara-wide targets¹ are a critical part of the strategy, setting a pathway to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes by 2030.

Target 1: Conservation and restoration

Equivalent of 30% of the land we steward under conservation or restoration actions by 2030^2,3,4

Working with partners, we’ll establish and maintain conservation and restoration actions across the Pilbara so that, by 2030, we protect or restore more than five hectares for every one hectare we have disturbed.

Target 2: Reducing disturbance

Backfill 60% of waste rock material annually by 2030^5,6

We’ll backfill more waste rock material in-pit to reduce our future disturbance footprint and improve closure outcomes.

Target 3: Reducing surface water discharge

Reduce surface water discharge by more than 80% by 2030⁷

We’ll investigate and prioritise aquifer management, storage, transfers and reuse to reduce surface water discharge from mine dewatering, protecting ecosystems and respecting cultural values.

Target 4: Delivering rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of 4,000 hectares by 2030⁸
We’ll deliver more hectares of rehabilitation across mine, rail, port and projects, supported by improved mine planning.

Footnotes

1. Pilbara wide targets - Targets are set and measured at a Pilbara-wide level, rather than at an individual asset level. Each asset’s contribution to achieving these targets will vary based on its specific operating context.

2. Equivalent of - Actions may be delivered on or off Iron Ore Pilbara land holdings (e.g. on third‑party tenure), such as our Pilbara Conservation Project partnership with DBCA which supports activities within national parks.

3. Land we steward - The land for which Iron Ore Pilbara holds underlying tenure in the Pilbara, inclusive of inland waters within those tenure boundaries.

4. Under conservation or restoration actions - Areas where Iron Ore Pilbara is delivering or funding mandatory or voluntary conservation and/or restoration activities. Formal legal protections (e.g., conservation covenants) are not required for activities to be included.

5. Backfill - Placement of waste rock material into mined voids (e.g. pits).

6. Waste rock material - Non‑ore material generated through mining activities that is removed to access ore.

7. Surface water discharge – discharge to the surface attributable to mine dewatering activities. Water discharged for environmental or emergency needs is not included.

8. Rehabilitation - Process of re-establishment of disturbed areas to achieve safe, stable, non-polluting landforms capable of supporting self-sustaining native vegetation consistent with the post-mining land use. Rehabilitation includes earthworks, surface treatments, soil preparation and revegetation. For the purposes of footprint measurement, areas are considered rehabilitated at the beginning of re-establishment once they have earthworks and surface treatments completed.

Target	Objective	How progress is measured	Baseline (end 2025)	Target outcome (end 2030)	Delivery pathway
1. Conservation and restoration	Meaningfully contribute to a nature positive future by delivering actions across the Pilbara that protect and restore nature	Hectares under active conservation or restoration actions divided by total Iron Ore Pilbara land holdings	12%	30%	Managing threatening processes (eg feral cats, cane toads, weeds), safeguarding high-value ecosystems (eg ecological corridors, biodiversity hotspots), and supporting improved management of conservation reserves or other areas (eg National Parks)
2. Reducing disturbance	Reduce future disturbance through improved material stewardship to improve environmental outcomes and meet stakeholder expectations for closure	Percentage of total waste rock generated in a calendar year placed as in‑pit backfill	Not applicable	60%	Optimising pit design, scheduling and mining techniques to maximise in‑pit backfill, and embedding these practices into mine planning and operational execution
3. Reducing surface water discharge	Reduce surface water discharge volumes to natural waterways by prioritising aquifer management, storage, transfers and reuse	Annual gigalitres of surface water discharge compared to baseline	62 GL/a	12 GL/a	Executing investigations and projects focused on reducing discharge, increasing water network flexibility (eg pipelines), and returning water to aquifers
4. Delivering rehabilitation	Improve management of our disturbance footprint through sustained delivery of rehabilitation	Total hectares rehabilitated, aggregated annually and compared to baseline	Reset to 0 ha¹	Additional 4,000 ha¹	Delivering progressive rehabilitation projects across mining and associated landforms, supported by improved mine planning and execution

^1. As targets are forward looking from the end of 2025, rehabilitation completed prior to this will not be counted towards target delivery.

Taking action

We’re implementing the strategy through a five-year strategic plan, which is embedded in our business planning processes. For the first two years we’re focused on getting the basics right, delivering our priority projects, and investing in solutions for the future.

Delivery is supported by a clear governance model, with defined accountabilities, decision-making rights and performance tracking to drive outcomes.

We’ll measure progress using clear performance indicators and will share progress with our partners and stakeholders to support transparency, learning and continuous improvement.

We’ll also continue to seek and apply feedback from employees, Traditional Owners, communities, investors, regulators, partners and other stakeholders, so we can improve delivery over time.

Our strategy is a commitment to be a trusted partner and environmental steward. We’ll review and refresh it as new challenges and opportunities emerge, helping strengthen environmental performance in the Pilbara and beyond.