Absolute results remain low overall, and Freeport-McMoRan’s results are largely dependent on the formal commitments it has made: to prevent bribery and corruption, to respect human rights, to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, to manage its environmental impacts systematically, and to not explore or mine in World Heritage Sites and to respect other protected areas. The company’s results also stem in part from its public disclosure of information on the location and safety of its tailings storage facilities.

Freeport-McMoRan shows one of the stronger results on the issues of tracking its performance on preventing and remedying its human rights impacts and tracking the effectiveness of its grievance mechanisms for communities.

The company shows evidence of improvement since the RMI Report 2020, including a formal commitment to condemn any threats or violence against human rights defenders.

Freeport-McMoRan is associated with a leading practice on the issue of living wage, having partnered with a sustainability organisation to conduct a living wage assessment at some operations and with plans to roll out the exercise for all employees.

Freeport-McMoRan’s results are below the average in two thematic areas: Economic Development and Business Conduct, and the company’s overall results are limited by a lack of evidence of action on a number of issues. For example, Freeport-McMoRan shows no evidence of supporting procurement from local or national suppliers in producing countries, or assessing and addressing any adverse impacts on land use and land access by affected communities. The company also shows a lack of evidence of systematic action on identifying and addressing how climate change can exacerbate the impacts of its operations on its workforce, affected communities, and the environment.

Freeport-McMoRan ranks 18th among the 40 companies on its mine-site-level results, with an average score of only 9% in the mine-site assessment. Moreover, five of the seven Freeport-McMoRan mine sites assessed do not show any relevant evidence on nine of the fifteen issues covered in the mine-site assessment: air quality, water quantity, post-closure, safety of communities, worker health and safety, women workers, workplace deaths and injuries, training of workers, and living wage.