The revolving door data, indicating that a significant portion of Rio Tinto Group’s lobbyists have held previous government roles (16 out of 29 in 2023 and 15 out of 26 in 2024), underscores potential conflicts of interest and an erosion of the separation between corporate power and governmental accountability. This further compounds concerns regarding the company's indirect support for authoritarian practices.

Rio Tinto Group Profile: Summary • OpenSecrets

Rio Tinto Group's documented lobbying activities, as presented by OpenSecrets, indicate a deliberate effort to shape policy in a manner that could favor undemocratic and authoritarian interests. The aggressive lobbying tactics, when viewed through an anti-fascist lens, suggest that the company is using its significant financial resources to exert undue influence on political processes, thereby compromising democratic norms.

Rio Tinto Group Lobbying Profile • OpenSecrets

The independent environmental and human rights impact assessment of the Panguna mine revealed severe, ongoing environmental degradation that has endangered local communities' water supplies and safety. Despite clear evidence of harm dating back decades, Rio Tinto has not yet committed to funding remediation or long-term solutions, reflecting a significant lapse in ethical business practices and responsibility.

Pressure building on Rio Tinto to address harms as independent assessment confirms major ongoing risks and impacts in Panguna

The investigation reveals that decades after closure, the Panguna mine continues to pose severe risks, including exposure to toxic chemicals, environmental degradation, and violations of indigenous and community rights. This negligence by Rio Tinto reflects deeply exploitative labor and human rights practices that contribute to broader systemic injustices and the rise of authoritarianism.

Landmark report uncovers human rights abuses at Rio Tinto gold mine in Bougainville, 35 years after closure - ABC News

By leveraging dispute settlement mechanisms and engaging in legal action to protect its economic interests, Rio Tinto demonstrates significant structural influence. This approach contributes to economic imbalances and supports authoritarian practices by undermining local regulatory and decision‐making processes.

In Serbia, the EU’s Green Deal is fuelling pollution and human rights abuses

Executives, including the chief of Rio Tinto’s iron ore division, were directly involved in reaching out to government officials to influence environmental policy. This direct executive engagement in political lobbying raises serious concerns about the company’s interference in democratic processes.

Mining groups lobbied PM to weaken environment reforms, documents show

Rio Tinto's decision to continue focusing on the Chinese market despite known concerns over its authoritarian governance indicates a willingness to engage economically in regions where authoritarian practices prevail. This behavior, driven by the booming EV market, may be seen as contributing to economic collaboration with authoritarian regimes, undermining ethical business practices in favor of profit.

Rio Tinto CEO says China still promising mineral market as EVs boom

The reported analysis points to Rio Tinto's strategic use of climate-focused lobbying as a means to deflect scrutiny from its broader environmental and ethical practices. By aligning with industry groups that promote top-line climate statements without deeper commitments, the company appears to be engaging in political contributions and lobbying efforts that may indirectly support authoritarian approaches to regulation and policy, reinforcing patterns of corporate complicity.

BHP and Rio Tinto: Their Industry Groups and Climate Lobbying

Rio Tinto Group’s $4.6 million political donation, as highlighted by CPI's report, is indicative of a broader pattern of resources-sector influence that effectively buys access to political power. This pay-to-play system facilitates regulatory capture and policy outcomes that favor corporate interests, which can enable authoritarian practices.

Political donations and the resources sector’s influence

The data shows that Rio Tinto Group spent $1,370,000 on lobbying in 2019 and $910,000 in 2020, combined with evidence of revolving door connections where a significant portion of their lobbyists have prior government experience. This level of political influence, focused on shaping policy in their favor, is indicative of corporate actions that may undermine democratic accountability and contribute to the rise of authoritarian tendencies.

Rio Tinto Group Profile: Summary • OpenSecrets

Amnesty International’s campaign highlights grave concerns over the ethical sourcing of minerals and human rights abuses in the lithium supply chain. With Rio Tinto evaluating a major lithium mining project in Serbia, the company is under scrutiny for its potential complicity in supporting labor exploitation and environmental harm. This rating reflects the failure to ensure robust supply chain ethics, contributing indirectly to authoritarian practices by neglecting community and labor protections.

Amnesty launches major campaign on lithium

The granting of a 2017 extraction license to Rio Tinto despite vociferous civil society opposition in Serbia reflects a troubling pattern of prioritizing profit over ethical considerations and human rights. This has contributed to an environment where corporate actions undermine public accountability and fuel grassroots backlash against practices that jeopardize democracy and community well‐being.

Business and human rights at the margins: a case of bottom-up campaign against Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium project in Serbia

The company's involvement in controversial joint ventures, notably the arrangement at the Grasberg mine and its indirect support of oppressive regimes, exemplifies economic collaboration that benefits from structural exploitation. This reflects a pattern where profit is prioritized over local human rights and environmental safeguards.

Rio Tinto: juggernaut of cultural fascism and participant in slow-motion genocide