Regional approaches to the Social License to Operate

Challenge the practice is addressing: This tool addresses Social License to Operate approaches used across Europe as there is no universally accepted definition of Social License to Operate. The Social License to Operate will also look different in two places because it always depends on the given context.

Concrete practice to achieve the expected goal: Some examples of Social License to Operate actions include resolving conflicts with municipality as intermediary, long-term stakeholder engagement, public hearings and events and adapting to minimizing consequences. These regional approaches were collected from more than 47 examples of exploration, mining, closure and post-closure projects.

Expected impact/goal of the practice: There are regional approaches to consider depending on the region. Regions with economical problems tend to be more open minded about mining projects than areas with less economic disadvantages. The structure of the government in terms of mining plays an important role. Past mining projects have given the potential for the government to learn from past environmental accidents and potentially changing legislations.

Who is the target user group of the practice/intervention or implementing the practice/intervention? The practice is primarily for companies to get a better understanding of the local context in which exploration or exploitation may take place.