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Social License to Operate in Mining: Present Views and Future Trends

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  • Konstantinos Komnitsas

    (School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University Crete, GR-73100 Chania, Greece)

Abstract

The social license to operate (SLO) is an informal social contract that aims to bridge the gap among the views of the most important stakeholders involved in mining activities. The novelty of this paper lies in the fact that it discusses the current situation and the future prospects of granting a SLO, mainly at the European Union (EU) level, by considering the mine of the future, in terms of deep sea and landfill mining, and the criticality of raw materials that are required by high tech products as well as by emerging and green technologies. Also, it highlights the factors that may affect the views of all involved stakeholders, focusing on the joint efforts that are required by the industry and the society as well as on the main technological, social, political and legal issues which are relevant to the process. It is believed that if trust is developed between the involved stakeholders the SLO may prove an important tool in future mining in order to safeguard the supply of raw materials, minimize the environmental footprint and improve the quality of life in the affected regions. Finally, a conceptual flowsheet involving the main steps that may be followed for granting a SLO is proposed.

Suggested Citation

  • Konstantinos Komnitsas, 2020. "Social License to Operate in Mining: Present Views and Future Trends," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:9:y:2020:i:6:p:79-:d:376165
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    Cited by:

    1. Woźniak, Justyna & Jurczyk, Weronika, 2022. "SLO in CSR perspective - A comparative case study from Poland (2018–2020)," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    2. Daina Paulikas & Steven Katona & Erika Ilves & Saleem H. Ali, 2022. "Deep‐sea nodules versus land ores: A comparative systems analysis of mining and processing wastes for battery‐metal supply chains," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(6), pages 2154-2177, December.
    3. Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska, 2022. "The Role of Mineral Raw Materials Education in a Social License to Operate—A Case of Poland," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-12, April.
    4. Sternberg, Troy & Tchoroev, Almaz & Toktomushev, Kemel, 2023. "The role of mining in Kyrgyzstan's social acceptance of protest," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    5. Toni Eerola, 2022. "Territories of Contention: The Importance of Project Location in Mining-Related Disputes in Finland from the Geosystem Services Perspective," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-20, November.

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