Next to steel, aluminium is the world’s most widely used metal, and is found in huge numbers of consumer products. More aluminium is produced every year than any other non-ferrous metal, in a process that is energy-hungry and requires shallow mining over very large areas with significant associated environmental and social impacts. In recent years the demand for aluminium has increased at an annual rate of over five percent.2 Despite the increasing efforts to capture and recycle aluminium products, the production of primary aluminium is projected to continue to expand in line with this growing demand. Historically, the aluminium industry, with its bauxite mines and large-scale dams supplying power for smelting and refining, has had significant direct adverse impacts on the rights of indigenous peoples, as demonstrated in the experiences outlined in this publication. Understanding the history and on-going impact of this legacy is a necessary and indeed critical step in creating a more responsible and responsive industry in the future. Some of these experiences also indicate a positive, if tentative, improvement, in the scale and nature of impacts, how they are managed, and in the level of respect and space provided for indigenous peoples in negotiations about access to and the use of their lands and resources. They also illustrate important proactive steps taken by indigenous peoples to assert their rights in the context of mining and hydroelectric projects