Brazil: Communities affected by the bauxite and aluminium supply chain say they remain excluded from decisions shaping the green transition
“Paying the Price of the Green Transition: Communities Affected By Brazil’s Bauxite-Aluminum Supply Chain Still Don’t Have Enough Say”, May 2026
…the use of aluminum has expanded significantly, impacting the rights and well-being of countless families and communities. Companies mine and process bauxite to obtain alumina…Brazil was one of the top five bauxite-producing nations in 2024...2 More than 80% of its aluminum ores come from the state of Pará.3
Between January and July 2025, Transparentem investigated the Brazilian bauxite and aluminium supply chain, interviewing 59 people who were members or leaders of 40 communities located near bauxite or alumina operations. Our investigation revealed significant concerns of loss of land and livelihood and environmental destruction caused by the companies, and a lack of proper consultation and/or remedy.
Transparentem traced the supply chains of the investigated sites and identified potential connections to 68 companies. Of the 68, seven are owners or co-owners of the investigated sites and one is the operator of a site. Just four of the owners or co-owners responded to Transparentem — Alcoa, MRN, Rio Tinto, and South32 — pointing to their community outreach and progress on due diligence, but communities continue to describe feeling unheard. The other four owners and co-owners – Glencore, Mitsui, NAAC, and Norsk Hydro — declined to substantively engaged with our findings.
Transparentem contacted 60 buyers, including consumer facing brands and distributors or processors, with supply chain connections to these bauxite mining operations, but was concerned by how few of these buyers constructively engaged. Forty-four buyers did not respond to Transparentem’s efforts to reach them, which was disappointing and inconsistent with engagements in other sectors where companies have responded at much higher rates. These companies include major players in the automotive, aerospace, beverage, defense, and tech industries. See page 23 of our full report…