Respect for the environment is at the heart of our operating and development strategy. We are committed to preventing, or otherwise minimising and mitigating the impact of our operation on the environment.
The Gobi Desert is a unique environment, which requires protection. Our overarching goal is to have a net positive impact on the environment by the time our operations finish. This means minimising the environmental impacts of our operation and contributing to its conservation to ensure the region ultimately benefits as a result of our activities.
To achieve our goal, we draw on the advice of environmental experts, and the communities around the mine. We operate a large number of programmes and management approaches. For example, we undertake a wide range of activities and monitoring programmes in areas such as water, air, biological diversity, waste, and land management.
We comply with the following regulations and requirements:
- All relevant environmental laws, regulations and standards of Mongolia.
- Internationally recognised mining standards.
- Environmental requirements and standards of project lenders (e.g. International Finance Corporation, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development).
- Rio Tinto’s environmental policies, strategies and standards.
- Regular monitoring of environmental performance and complying with our internal environmental monitoring programmes.
We continuously monitor and improve our environmental policies and plans in consultation with local residents, communities, the government, experts, and professional institutions.
We are committed to being transparent about our environmental impact and we publish a large number of detailed studies and independent reports on our performance, including data from our own monitoring activities.
Our approach focuses on a number of areas, including: