Church of England Pensions Board part of global coalition filing resolution at Rio Tinto

02/03/2018

The Church of England Pensions Board, together with investors with assets totalling nearly £50bn, has filed a shareholder resolution at Rio Tinto calling on the company to review and fully disclose its relationships with industry bodies including the Minerals Council of Australia that block progress on Australian and global climate and energy frameworks.

The other co-filers are AP7 from Sweden, and Local Government Super from Australia. The resolution is being coordinated by the Australian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR). More information is available on their website at http://www.accr.org.au/

Adam Matthews, Head of Engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board said: “It is a matter of public record that Rio Tinto has supported the Paris Agreement and limiting climate change to 2 degrees. However, that position is undermined when industry associations and lobbying groups, financially supported by Rio Tinto, take contrary lobbying positions.  For Rio Tinto to be part of the solution to climate change requires consistency in all the company’s activities and from the organisations it supports to lobby on its behalf.”