Company: RTNTF
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001628280-25-006642
Chunk: 7

Company: RIO TINTO LTD
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 20-F
Chunk 7
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 and I visited the Simandou project in Guinea and witnessed early construction of the 620- kilometre railway. Less than a year on, we have signed the co-development agreements, crushed the first iron ore, built a 275-metre-long bridge, inaugurated 7 new schools and with a workforce of over 13,000 people, around 81% of whom are Guinean. As we build, we are working with governments, communities and civil society groups on biodiversity and socioeconomic development. We are certainly not perfect, but we are taking the necessary steps to deepen our social licence. We cannot solve our biggest challenges alone, and it is important that our partnerships are mutually beneficial for all our stakeholders. A positive workplace culture is also key to operational performance. So, while there is still a long way to go, I am encouraged by the progress we are making on our culture change journey. Well positioned in an uncertain landscape We are clearly in a time of significant geopolitical volatility with conflict, trade tensions and polarisation at domestic and international levels. There will be further volatility in 2025, but we are working on what is within our control and Rio Tinto is well- positioned to manage risk. I am confident we have the right strategy to meet the many opportunities and navigate the challenges. Because, ultimately, what we do is increasingly in demand and will remain so, despite the hurdles we must deal with along the way, such as slow permitting. Decarbonisation is core to our strategy. We have ambitious targets to reduce our emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, and getting there will be hard. But we have developed a roadmap that should enable us to achieve our targets while reducing energy uncertainty and improving the underlying economics for our assets. Our portfolio of decarbonisation initiatives is focused on value, giving us confidence that our investments here are not only better for the environment, but better for our business for the long term. Considering the complexity of the challenges before us, innovation is becoming an even more important part of our approach across Rio. This is being driven by our Chief Innovation Officer and our strong research and development team, who are testing future technologies and considering how we can scale them competitively. A team effort In 2025, Rio Tinto will continue to focus on building a culture where everyone feels safe, respected and empowered, because that is how an organisation delivers great performance. We will also continue to forge partnerships that enable us to grow and deliver further attractive shareholder returns. We